Harry Potter and the Arceus Plates
by WolfsbaneKnight
Summary: [Seventh in the HP/Pokémon series]. With Dumbledore gone Death Eaters roam free. The time has passed when Harry can take shelter in Hogwarts walls and instead he must put his life on the line in the search for the lost Arceus Plates. With threats lurking around every corner can Harry return all the Plates to Arceus. Or will Voldemort's quest for immortality come true.
1. Closing In

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello and welcome to the seventh and final instalment of my Harry Potter/Pokemon series, 'Harry Potter and the Arceus Plates'. If you are new to this series then please head over to my profile page to start off at the beginning with 'Harry Potter and the Sacred Ash'.

Thanks to everyone who has been following so far (and sorry for the slight delay in getting this uploaded). We're now in the final stretch so I hope you are excited and, without further ado, let's get going.

* * *

On the night of the 28th July the street of Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey, was quiet. That was not unusual. It was a nice, normal neighbourhood, after all. Nothing weird ever happened there.

Up in the smallest bedroom of one of the houses on this street, number four, sat a boy named Harry Potter, a book in his lap and a furrow in his brow. He turned the page, the paper feeling crisp and heavy in his fingers, and let out a sigh.

The book he was reading was no ordinary book. It was a book of legends. Entitled 'Gods on Earth' the book, gifted to Harry by his late Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was the world's most comprehensive guide to Legendary Pokémon. Though large and filled with minuscule text, however, it still held very little information. Most of what was known was basic, the rest nothing but guesswork.

Over the summer Harry had taken to reading 'Gods on Earth' at every available opportunity, and he had plenty. His relatives, the Dursleys, did not care for Harry or want anything to do with his 'unnaturalness' and likewise Harry didn't want anything to do with them. As a result he spent the vast majority of his time locked away in his bedroom, whiling away the hours as he waited for his birthday, July 31st, when he would finally be allowed to leave.

The doorbell rang.

Harry paused, eyes flicking up from the book as his ears strained to listen. It was likely nothing, Privet Drive was irrevocably a very dull place to live, but even though it was most likely the neighbours from next-door or some other resident of the sleepy town Harry was still put on edge. These days nothing could be taken for granted.

Across the landing he could hear Uncle Vernon's muttered complaints. He'd turned in for the night and, though not yet asleep, he clearly was not pleased to be interrupted. In this case he appeared so peeved that he would much rather ignore whoever was at the door.

The doorbell rang again, followed by a firm knock.

"What in the blazes…" Harry heard Vernon's curses before his voice fell, dropping down to a low murmur outside. Still, it was clear he was ranting quite vociferously in the confines of his bedroom.

"Boy!" Vernon eventually shouted and Harry let out a subconscious sigh of annoyance. "Answer the door, will you! And tell whoever it is who decided to disturb us at this time of night to bugger off, some of us have work tomorrow!"

Harry rolled his eyes. It was late but it wasn't _that_ late.

Still he rose from his bed, gently closing 'Gods on Earth' as he did so, and he reached for his belt, Pokéballs attached. While it was unlikely, if there were Death Eaters out on the front porch then he should be prepared for them. He stepped out onto the upstairs landing, leaving his bedroom door open so as to allow the Pokémon inside, Talonflame, Pikachu and Umbreon, to come to his aid if so needed, and turned to walk down the stairs.

"Boy!" Vernon shouted again, irate as the doorbell rang a third time, the knocking becoming quite insistent.

"I'm going," Harry snapped, catching a glimpse of Aunt Petunia peeking out at him from behind her bedroom door. He began to descend the stairs.

It was dark on the lower floor of the Dursley household, all four residents currently upstairs, and as Harry descended he did not turn on the light. The more insistent the knocking became the more on edge Harry was.

Reaching the door he placed his eye against the peephole. An eye of deepest red stared back.

Harry gave a sigh of relief. Flicking on the downstairs light Harry pulled open the front door.

"Bang! You're dead, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"I saw Murk through the peephole, Mad-Eye," he retorted, glancing up to see Murk the Murkrow riding on Mad-Eye Moody's shoulder.

"So?" Moody barked. "Think I'm the only trainer with a Murkrow, do you?" And he pushed Harry roughly to the side, brushing past him with a rhythmic clunk of his wooden leg, revealing his companions.

"How are you, Harry?" Remus Lupin greeted him pleasantly, stepping forward as Moody clunked down the hallway through to the Dursley's kitchen.

"I'm alright," Harry told him. "It's been very quiet."

"Well, I think that's about to change," Remus said with a smile.

"Wotcher," Nymphadora Tonks announced herself, nudging Remus into the house impatiently. The impish auror was sporting neon pink hair today, spiked up in her usual style.

The last person to step through the doorway came as a surprise.

"Bill?"

"Hello, Harry," the eldest Weasley child greeted him with a firm shake of the hand. He looked good, and just as cool as always, but Harry could not understand what he was doing here. Even though the whole visit was a surprise - they were supposed to collect him on his birthday - seeing Moody, Remus and Tonks still made some sense. Bill, on the other hand, had much more important things to be doing, including but not limited to his upcoming wedding with former Beauxbatons Champion Fleur Delacour.

"We'll explain in a moment," Bill assured him, correctly reading Harry's confused look as he stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind him.

"Had enough time chatting?" Moody growled, stomping back into the hallway to glare at the group. "We have a job to be getting on with, you lot. Now, Potter, where are your relatives?"

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon's yell sounded before Harry had the chance to answer as the beefy man came thundering across the upstairs hallway. "What in the blazes…!" He fell silent, looking down on the group with a stupefied expression as he stood at the top of the stairs in nothing but his dressing gown, hanging loose, and his underpants.

"Ah, there you are," Moody growled, looking up at Vernon as though unconcerned with his current state of undress. "Grab your wife and son, Dursley, and come meet us in the kitchen." And he clunked away, leaving a pale faced Vernon shaking in his wake.

There were few people intimidating enough to get Vernon Dursley to do something without argument. Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody was one of them.

The rest of the Legion of Ho-oh members followed Moody into the kitchen, Harry joining them.

"What's going on? What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked as the Legion members spread themselves around the room. "I thought you weren't supposed to come pick me up until Wednesday."

"There's been a slight change of plan," said Remus delicately.

"There's been some Death Eater sightings in the area," Moody barked brusquely. "We've decided to move you early."

"Death Eater sightings?" Harry repeated worriedly.

"We don't think they know you're here, Harry," Tonks assured him. "But ever since Headmaster Dumbledore's death they've been seen all over the place. Without him there's no reason for them to hold back. With the sightings in your area we thought it'd be a good idea to move you now, rather than risk them finding you."

"Exactly," Moody growled. "And the sooner we leave the better. Where are those damn Dursleys?" He glared at the door.

At that very moment, as if summoned by Moody's ire, they appeared. Vernon led the way, his dressing gown wrapped up tighter now, his sizeable bulk blocking out the figure of Petunia behind him, clutching his hand with a pale face, also dressed in a night gown, with rollers in her hair. Last but not least was Dudley, fully dressed as he'd undoubtedly been up playing video games, looking less frightened than his parents and far more confused.

"What's going on?" He asked. His parents looked at him askance, Petunia making panicked hushing noises to her son. They stayed quiet, cowering in the kitchen.

Moody stepped forward.

"We're here to take Potter," Moody said simply. Looking up, Vernon appeared to take courage from this. He straightened, puffing himself up, trying to look confident.

"Well, in that case, take him," he encouraged. "And be off with you." Moody scowled. Almost immediately Vernon withered back.

"Oh, believe me, Dursley, we will," he promised. "But before we do leave I have a few things to say to you. So shut up, and don't move." Vernon nodded mutely.

"This is the last time you're going to see Potter," Moody announced. "On his birthday he will become an adult in the Pokémon world, fully recognised by law, and he will no longer require guardians. And I sure doubt he'll want to hang around." The Dursleys stayed quiet, not daring to speak as Moody fixed them with a firm glare.

"Unfortunately, Potter is also an integral part of a war that has spanned decades of Pokémon trainers, and as such many people want him dead. And they will be quite happy to kill you to find him. My advice, if you want to live, is to keep quiet. Potter never lived here. You've never heard his name. And maybe if you're lucky you'll live to see a better day."

Moody finished his speech, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the Dursleys, and it took them a moment to realise that Moody was done talking.

"Of course," Petunia gasped, still hidden behind Vernon. "We won't say anything about the boy, I promise. We don't speak of him much anyway." Beside Harry Remus shifted and Bill subconsciously folded his arms across his chest. Reading the room Petunia very wisely shut up, retreating back behind her husband.

"Well, it appears that being worthless pieces of vermin has proved fruitful for you Dursleys," Moody commented, Petunia flinching at his words.

"Now now," Vernon said angrily, straightening up. But a firm glare from Moody silenced him immediately.

Moody took a breath.

"We'll be on our way now," he said dismissively. "And you can continue on in your meaningless, pathetic little lives as you wish. Let's go." He stomped forward.

"Sorry."

Even Moody stopped at the softly spoken word. Everyone was caught by surprise, not least the person who had spoken.

Dudley looked as shocked as anyone by what had come out of his mouth but, now he'd said it, he seemed to have decided to stick with it.

"Dudders," Petunia whispered fearfully. Dudley shook his head.

"I am sorry," Dudley told her, turning his head and this time looking straight at Harry. "I've been really mean to you. I'm a really bad cousin."

Harry just stared at him. Even though Dudley hadn't been openly antagonistic to him in years he hadn't expected this.

Dudley shifted.

"Uh, yeah," he said awkwardly, looking around and seeming to realise he was standing in the middle of a room of strangers. "That's, uh, that's all I've got to say. So… uh, bye." He raised his hand awkwardly.

Harry looked at him, sizing him up, before he gave a small nod.

An awkward silence filled the room.

Moody huffed. "Come on, what's with you?" He barked and Harry jumped in surprise. "We don't have time for this. Potter, grab your bags and go."

Moody's harsh words seemed to spring everyone into action. The Legion members began to make their exits, the Dursleys flinching as they moved past them, and Harry ran upstairs to throw the rest of his possessions into his trunk. As he slammed it shut and locked it Bill and Remus took a hold of the handles and began carrying it downstairs as Harry returned Talonflame, Pikachu and Umbreon to their Pokéballs. He turned, taking one last look at his now empty bedroom, and closed the door behind him.

He hurried downstairs.

The Dursleys were still in the kitchen where they'd left them, watching what was happening with wide, terrified eyes, and as Harry looked back at them they seemed to flinch away.

All except Dudley.

Dudley Dursley was standing in front of his parents, just inside the hallway, looking all the taller for the way his parents were cowering away behind him, and, though Harry couldn't quite believe it, he looked… sad.

"See you, Dud," Harry told him. Dudley raised his hand in a timid wave and, nodding to his cousin one final time, Harry stepped out through the front door and closed it behind him.

"Come on, Potter," Moody said in a low growl, his gaze flickering from one end of the street to the other as he pushed Harry forward. "This is our ride."

Mr Weasley's minivan was parked across the street, Mr Weasley himself seated behind the wheel.

"Ahoy there, Harry," he greeted cheerfully, waving as Harry approached. He was looking well, a lot better than the last time Harry had seen him over Christmas. A year and a half ago Mr Weasley had been victim of a terrible attack from Voldemort's Arbok, Nagini, and his recovery since then had been far from straightforward.

"Hi there, Mr Weasley," Harry said with a smile. The Weasley patriarch was one of those people you couldn't help but get along with.

"We'll have enough time for chitchat later," Moody growled, pushing Harry round to the back to where Remus and Tonks were loading Harry's trunk. "Get in. We're taking this van all the way back."

"You too?" Harry wondered. "What happened to your car?" In previous trips Moody had driven a cramped, beaten up Volkswagen wherever he went.

"Lost it," Moody growled. "Blasted Death Eaters got on my tail and I had to leave it."

"Thank god," Tonks murmured. She had truly hated that car.

Moody glowered.

"Get in," he growled, pushing Harry forward and into the back of the van before he too pulled himself up.

As Harry stepped aboard he was in for a surprise.

"Hermione?"

Sitting before him, her expression an odd combination of nerves and excitement, was one of Harry's best friends, Hermione Granger.

She beamed at him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, grabbing a seat across from her as Moody slammed the doors shut, pushing his way to the front of the van.

"Collecting you," was Hermione's answer, though she understood full well why he was so surprised. She gestured to her companion, the Pokémon that sat on the seat next to her. Absol.

"Moody obviously didn't want me to come along," she said as Bill quickly jumped into the front passenger's seat and Remus and Tonks quickly strapped themselves in. "I was only able to convince him to let me come by pointing out how useful Absol could be."

That made sense.

Moody leaned over the front. "Let's get going, Arthur," he grunted. Mr Weasley started up the minivan.

"Absol's ability to predict disasters is certainly fascinating," commented Remus, sounding very much like the academic who made such a good professor at Hogwarts. "I understand he's been giving you warnings for quite some time."

He certainly had. It had been nearly five years since Absol had first shown himself and since then he'd become an irregular, far too common presence in Harry's life. And since his last three appearances had led to someone's death it was clear Harry had been far from successful in preventing these disasters Absol foretold.

He decided to change the subject.

"What's been happening since I've been away?" He asked as Mr Weasley pulled out of Privet Drive. "I haven't had any news for months."

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Remus said wearily. "Ever since Dumbledore's death Voldemort has been free to do whatever he wants. Of course we're fighting him, as are the aurors. Minister Scrimgeour was an auror himself, back in the day. He was head of the department before his promotion so, as you can imagine, he's giving them all the support he can."

Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister for Pokémon, had taken over from Cornelius Fudge just over a year ago, after it was discovered that Fudge had been wrong in denying Voldemort's return. The man was an unknown to Harry, he had never met him before, but from what he could tell he was a definite improvement on Fudge.

"Of course, it's not helping much," Tonks piped in from her seat beside Mad-Eye. "Aurors are highly trained but they haven't had to deal with anything like this since the last war. Most of the active aurors back then are desk jockeys now. And there are just so many Death Eaters, way more than there are people to fight them, and that's not even before you take into account the really nasty ones."

"Bellatrix," Harry agreed. The crazed servant of Voldemort had ruined more than a few lives and thoroughly enjoyed doing it.

"And Dolohov, and Avery, and the rest of the LeStranges come to that," noted Tonks. "You have to be pretty mad to welcome Aunty Bella into the family. And then there's Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Harry repeated, alarmed.

"Lucius," Remus clarified for him, causing Harry to calm somewhat. For a moment he'd thought they were talking about Draco.

"You missed that, too," Bill commented from up front, glancing back to look at him. "There was a breakout from Azkaban a few weeks ago. All those caught in the Department of Mysteries, including Lucius Malfoy."

"Right," said Harry. He supposed that wasn't necessarily the worst thing in the world. At least Draco had his father back.

Remus looked at him.

"Let's change the subject," he announced. "Talk about something a bit more cheerful. After all, we have lots to celebrate."

"Of course," said Harry, remembering suddenly. He turned to Bill. "It's your wedding soon. How's it going?"

"Beats me," Bill responded. "I have exactly one thing I have to remember and that is to turn up on time. If you want to know anything like the flowers, or the dresses, or the ceremony you'll need to ask mum." Beside him Mr Weasley chuckled.

"She is in her element," he murmured.

* * *

**A/N:** And so that's it for the first chapter. If you enjoyed it then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for further updates.

To DelugeLeader 666: Thanks for the support. I'm not using Gen 7 Pokemon in this story, for continuity with the first instalments, but I do have a few ideas for stuff connected to this universe after this story is finished, one of which I hope will include Gen 7 Pokemon.

Until next time.


	2. Ride Or Die

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

They had left Little Whinging behind by this point, trundling along one of those roads in the middle of nowhere, nothing but fields to the left and fields to the right, not that you could see for the darkness that had settled around them. Rain started to spit against the windows and Mr Weasley turned on the windscreen wipers.

Absol shifted.

"Absol?" Hermione questioned. Absol looked uncomfortable, glancing around as though searching for something he could feel but not see. Then he gave a cry of alarm.

An explosion rocked the minivan, throwing them violently to the side as Mr Weasley was forced to fight the steering wheel to stop them careening off the road. Harry looked around in shock.

"We're under attack!" Moody barked, rising to his feet and standing even as the minivan swerved to get back on track. "Everyone, battle stations!"

"Lunatone, use Light Screen," Remus commanded, his Lunatone appearing at once in the close confines of the van and setting up a golden shield around them.

Another explosion sounded and the Light Screen flashed brightly.

"We're surrounded!" Bill cried, gazing up through the front windscreen in shock. "Look out!"

Mr Weasley jerked the minivan sideways on the road and Bill ducked as though something was flying straight towards him. Whatever it was collided with the van, crashing into the section just above Bill's head and denting it severely. The window in the door and in the front windscreen in front of him smashed, shards of glass raining down on Bill's form as he braced himself against the blow.

Whatever had hit them collided with the ground hard as it passed and Mr Weasley continued on.

"Everyone, get ready to attack!" Moody barked, still standing as he gazed through the various windows around him. "Arthur, pick up the speed and get us out of here!"

Mr Weasley put his foot down, the minivan roaring as it picked up speed as even more explosions shattered the road around them. Lunatone's Light Screen flashed constantly, deflecting attack after attack as they continued to fly in, barely visible in the near pitch darkness around them as Mr Weasley swerved from side to side, avoiding obstacles that only those in the front could see.

"We can't keep this up, Mad-Eye!" Mr Weasley shouted. "We can't outrun them! And if we keep going on like this we'll be leading them straight back to the others!"

Something struck the side of the van, the wheels on that side briefly leaving the ground as the van tilted precariously, before they struck the ground again and the van jolted forwards.

A deadly silver blade spiked dangerously through the roof.

"Argh!" Moody cried, forced to duck as the blade came dangerously close to beheading him. "It's on the roof!"

"I've got it!" Shouted Hermione and she pulled out a Pokéball. "Go Mismagius!" The ghost type floated into being, looking around at the chaos around her with a calm demeanour. "Knock it off!"

Mismagius soared up through the ceiling, untroubled by the physical plane, and a moment later there was a loud bang, the blade of silver yanked out of the roof as whatever was connected to it was blown away to land in front of the vehicle with a loud crunch.

As the headlights fell upon their assailant the Pokémon, Bisharp, began to rise to its feet, turning towards them.

"Drive!" Harry shouted and Mr Weasley put his foot down. The minivan crashed straight into Bisharp, knocking it off its feet before it had the chance to recover, catching it on the bonnet where the scraping of metal on metal grated through the vehicle and Bisharp's head smashed through the windscreen, knocking out what little glass still remained.

"Ahh!" Mr Weasley cried as Bisharp took a swipe at him. He jerked the wheel left and right, trying to shake the Pokémon, but Bisharp held on, digging into the bonnet and grasping ahold fiercely.

Bill pulled out a Pokéball, pointing it out the window beside him.

"Blaziken, go!" He shouted and on the road alongside them appeared the tall beast of a Pokémon, flames burning at its wrists as it hit the ground running, keeping up with the minivan with ease. It turned to Bisharp.

"Flamethrower!"

Bisharp threw itself free from the vehicle just in time as the deadly blast of fire flashed across it, Bill and Mr Weasley holding their arms up protectively against the intense heat as it briefly obscured their vision.

"Weasley! Status!" Moody barked, having recovered from his near miss, looking out through the now open windscreen.

"I think we're ahead of the pack," Bill told him, leaning forward to look up into the air as Blaziken continued to run alongside him. He stuck his head out the side window to look behind them. A grim look settled on his face. "But we haven't seen the last of them."

As if to prove Bill right a sudden blow struck the back of the van. The front wheels briefly lifted from the ground, the vehicle seemingly suspended for a brief moment before it came crashing back down. The locking mechanism on the back door snapped, a large dent knocking it loose, and as the wheels hit the ground once more the doors fell open.

Twisting uncomfortably to look over his shoulder Harry spotted their attacker, a Luxray, chasing after them with fire in its eyes, and as the doors opened fully it blasted a bolt of lightning their way.

Lunatone's Light Screen absorbed the blow.

"Harry!" Hermione's cry caught Harry's attention. She looked panicked, her eyes wide. "Your trunk!"

Harry's trunk had been stored at the back of the van, squirrelled away so that the passengers had plenty of room, but as their journey had turned rough, the minivan shaking and swerving so violently, it had started to come loose, and it was now dangling dangerously close to the edge, the wildly flapping doors a hungry maw ready to devour it.

Harry yanked free of his seatbelt just in time as it tipped towards the door.

"Harry!" Hermione cried but he ignored her, throwing himself after his trunk and just able to grasp ahold of the handle before it slipped out of reach. He hung there, one arm stretched painfully behind him to hold back the trunk as his other hand wrapped itself in his seatbelt to stop himself from falling out the back.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the trunk safely in his grasp. He could not lose it, it was too important. From his photo album, to his clothes and books, to the one thing Dumbledore had left him, 'Gods on Earth', he could not afford to leave it behind.

With a great heave he pulled the trunk back.

"Look out!"

Harry flinched back sharply as Luxray leapt forward, spanning the distance between them in a second as he swiped at Harry, narrowly missing as his claws ripped through the back of his seat instead. Luxray landed heavily, its hind legs falling out the back as it struggled to maintain its hold of the van.

"Murk, Night Shade!" Moody roared, stomping forward as Murk the Murkrow set Luxray in his sights. The attack struck Luxray sharply, right on the forehead, and, disorientated, it lost its grip on the van and went tumbling out the back.

Harry looked out. It was hard to see with the darkness of night, nothing but the small crescent moon to light the land around them, but what he was able to see was the shifting shadows that pursued them, just out of sight, but certainly there.

Then he looked up.

High in the air, visible in the backdrop of the moon itself, far behind them but all the more menacing for it, flew at least half a dozen Death Eaters, all mounted upon a Staraptor each. The Staraptor Strike.

And in their midst, flying in the centre of the formation and leading it towards them, was another figure, one that chilled Harry to the bone.

Voldemort flew through the night air. Without assistance he soared with an almost awe-inspiring grace, looking completely at ease in amongst the menacing Staraptor around him, and even from a distance Harry could feel his cold stare upon him.

"Potter, get back!" Moody shouted, grabbing ahold of his shoulder and pushing him violently towards the front of the minivan. He turned to face the still open doors.

"Arthur!" He snapped, eyes narrowed into the darkness. "Let's get a move on!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Arthur complained wildly. "The minivan can't take much more! The whole system is falling apart!"

"We need to think of a plan!" Bill called out, sticking his head back out the window for another glance at their pursuers.

"What plan?!" Tonks screeched. She looked beside herself. "Can you not see what's out there?! Voldemort is _flying_!"

"Calm down, Nymphadora!" Moody barked. "Hysteria won't solve anything!"

"It might be a good idea to ditch the van," Remus suggested, in the hopes of making a helpful contribution. "They know to follow it and at these speeds and at these quarters we are hamstrung from forming a proper resistance."

"Negative!" Moody snapped. "We're not here to battle… Back off you bugger!" A Scyther had buzzed towards them, deftly avoiding Murk's attacks, before a Power Gem stopped it in its tracks, reminding Harry of Mismagius's presence above them.

"The mission is to get Potter safe!" Moody roared, even as more Pokémon closed in. "That is our only objective! We stay in the van!"

Harry couldn't accept that.

"We need to fight!" He shouted, even as the Luxray from earlier fired another bolt of lightning that fizzled against Lunatone's Light Screen. "We can't outrun them and we certainly can't lead them back to the others!"

"We're not stopping!" Moody roared.

Harry shook his head. Looking around he took a step towards the side door of the minivan and pulled it open.

"Potter!" Moody roared. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm fighting!" Harry shouted back. "I won't let the others be put in danger! Not because of me!" He pulled out a Pokéball. "Charizard, go!"

Charizard appeared with a terrifying roar, taking to the sky with an all-powerful flap of his wings, and, taking in their situation in a matter of moments, he opened his mouth and sent a blast of flames down the road behind them.

For the first time their pursuers were thrown into a decent amount of light, Charizard's attack setting a trail of fire in their wake, and what they saw was even worse than they were expecting. About a dozen Pokémon were chasing after them, from the Scyther, Bisharp and Luxray they had already seen to a Manectric, Liepard, Weavile, Crobat, and more that had yet to spring upon them.

Moody gazed out on the Pokémon in silence.

"Alright, new plan!" He called abruptly. "Anyone with a Pokémon that can keep up send them out! We have a battle on our hands!"

"Volcarona, go!" Bill shouted immediately, a second Pokémon joining his first. He pressed a finger to his wrist. "Blaziken, Mega Evolve!"

Light burst from the place his fingers touched, reaching out through the broken window to connect with the light that spread from the Pokémon running alongside them. The two tendrils snapped together, burning brightly, and Blaziken transformed as he went, growing faster and stronger, as power rippled from his muscular form.

Harry followed his lead.

"Charizard, Mega Evolve!" He shouted and immediately their bond sprang into being, Harry and Charizard falling in sync as the energy of the bond thrummed between them. He grabbed at his Pokéballs.

"Talonflame, Greninja, go!" Talonflame soared out the door to join Charizard in the sky as Greninja fell into step alongside them, before leaping and attaching himself to the side of the van, twisting round to face the attackers.

"Flygon, you too!" Shouted Hermione, releasing her dragon and ground type past Moody and out the back doors.

"Come on Ditto!" Yelled Tonks, flinging the purple blob past Moody's steadfast form too. "Transform into Flygon!"

The Pokémon flung themselves into battle. The two Flygon flew into the pursuing horde head on, automatically zeroing in on the electric type Pokémon, as Charizard and Talonflame fired down attacks from above, Greninja climbed atop the van to join Mismagius and Volcarona in its defence, and Blaziken forged ahead, making sure their coast was clear.

It was absolute chaos. With nearly double the number of Pokémon than there were before attacks were now flying everywhere, more than a few, whether intentionally or not, striking the van and forcing Lunatone to continue to renew the Light Screen that had protected them so far.

"Potter, on your side!" Snapped Moody, gazing out onto the battlefield like an esteemed general, and Harry turned to the side door just in time to flinch back as Weavile's claws swiped dangerously through the doorway.

Harry kicked out, his foot catching the Pokémon in the face as it tried to pull itself into the van itself, and it was knocked back. Its claws dug in, however, dragging horribly against the van's exoskeleton, causing Harry to flinch at the awful noise it produced.

A roar sounded from above and Charizard flew down upon them. He reached out angrily, grabbing ahold of Weavile in one hand, and he ripped it away, taking with it a whole lot of van too as Weavile tried to hold on, before he slammed the Pokémon mercilessly into the ground.

"This isn't working."

Mad-Eye's muttering was so quiet Harry almost missed it. He turned.

Mad-Eye was gazing out into the chaos, standing firm, and strangely silent. He squared his shoulders.

"Pokémon, fall back!" He instructed.

There was a moment of confusion, both inside the van and out, but eventually the Pokémon did as Mad-Eye said, returning to form a protective guard of the minivan as the attacking Pokémon regrouped behind them, seemingly cautious of whatever Moody was planning.

"Alastor?" Remus asked, concerned. Moody grunted.

"It's the only way," he said, and he looked up into the sky. The Staraptor Strike, Voldemort at its head, had grown ever closer, just waiting for their opportunity to strike. "Get everyone out of here," Moody instructed. "I'll buy you some time."

"What?" Harry gasped but there was no time to object. Moody had already made up his mind and leapt from the back of the van.

"Go, Conkeldurr!" He roared as he slammed heavily into the ground, his Pokémon appearing beside him just the same, digging his concrete pillars into the ground and slamming his hands together menacingly.

"Mad-Eye!" Tonks cried and, before anyone could do anything to stop her, she too had jumped from the vehicle, running after Mad-Eye as his form started to fade into the distance. "Ditto, with me!"

Remus stepped forward too.

"Lunatone, stay with the others," he instructed firmly.

"Remus, don't," Harry tried to argue. Remus ignored him.

"Arthur, get Harry to safety," he instructed, Mr Weasley's pale face gazing back at him in the rearview mirror.

Then he jumped.

"Abomasnow, go!" He shouted as he ran off after the others, already far away, his hulking ice type thundering along beside him.

"Remus!" Harry roared, desperately trying to call him back. He could not lose Remus. Not him too.

Remus came to a stop. He looked back, his eyes meeting Harry's as the distance between them continued to grow and grow.

"Blizzard!" He instructed.

The scene behind them disappeared in a storm of snow and ice, rising up in a great wall behind them as Mr Weasley's minivan was chased away into the nearby trees of a forest. Behind them everything from the Pokémon, to the Staraptor Strike, to Moody, Tonks, Voldemort, and Remus, disappeared from view.

There was silence in the minivan. Mr Weasley and Bill sat in the front, their laps filled with glass from the shattered windows, Bill's Volcarona and Mega Blaziken flanking them like guards.

In the back only Harry and Hermione remained of the initial expedition. They sagged back in their seats, exhausted and battered and bruised, joined by Absol and Remus's ever expressionless Lunatone, standing guard.

As time passed the Pokémon surrounding them began to return home to roost, the danger appearing to be over for now. Talonflame flew in the back after a while to perch on one of the seats, while Mismagius floated through the ceiling and Greninja dropped down too to stand guard over the back door.

Up front Bill returned his Volcarona and Blaziken, a moment later instructing Harry and Hermione to do the same to avoid drawing attention, while Mr Weasley did the opposite and called up the aid of his Magnemite, the electric and steel type using Flash to help light up the road ahead as one of Mr Weasley's headlights died.

They drove until the road they were following split off into a rough dirt track and they trundled up the familiar route to the welcome sight of the Burrow.

Mr Weasley pulled the minivan to a stop as they approached the boundary wall, instructing Magnemite to stop using his Flash as he turned the keys and the engine fell silent in blessed relief.

"Arthur!"

Mrs Weasley's cry was panicked as she flooded out from the Weasley family household and Harry could easily understand why. Mr Weasley's minivan was nothing more than a wreck of twisted metal by this point and was almost unrecognisable. It would never be road worthy again.

"Molly!" Mr Weasley shouted in reply, hurrying to pull himself from his seat and rush to meet her, the Weasley matriarch enveloping him in a bone crushing hug, practically weeping in sheer relief.

"Oh, Arthur, you're alright."

Fleur was next out the door, hurrying over to Bill with a similar expression on her face as she met him with a forceful kiss, grasping hold of his clothes as if to be absolutely sure he was really there.

Ron and Ginny followed them. Harry and Hermione barely had a chance to extricate themselves from the back of Mr Weasley's minivan before they were upon them, embracing them in relief.

Hurrying past everyone else Ginny ploughed into Harry, her arms wrapping around him so tightly it hurt, burying her head into his chest as she breathed in deeply, holding him close. Gently, after recovering his breath from her arrival, Harry allowed himself to wrap his arms around her, sighing in relief as the familiar flowery scent filled his senses.

He was home.

He glanced over Ginny's head. A few feet away Ron was holding Hermione firmly in his hands, examining her closely, even as Hermione tiredly assured him she was fine. Further away Bill had calmed Fleur, looking around too and seeming noticeably surprised as he glanced over at Harry, and Mr Weasley continued to assure his trembling wife he was fine.

Ginny shifted in his arms, looking up to face him, and Harry looked back, allowing his forehead to gently rest against hers.

"You're alright," she murmured.

Harry nodded.

Ginny's eyes seemed to sharpen in worry. "Where's Tonks?" She asked, looking around in alarm. "Where's Remus? Where's Mad-Eye?"

"They stayed behind," Bill answered clearly. All eyes turned to him. "We were ambushed. They stayed so we could escape."

There was stunned silence.

"Ambushed?" Mrs Weasley gasped. "But… but how? How did they know?"

"That's what I've been wondering," Mr Weasley worried, an anxious look on his face. "How did they find us?"

"Could we have been betrayed?" Ron asked, his grip on Hermione tightening reflexively. "Is there a mole in the Legion?"

"Impossible," said Bill. "Nobody knew we were collecting Harry today, not even us. Mad-Eye just turned up out of the blue and told us he was moving the plan forward."

"You are not seriously suggesting that Mad-Eye was the mole, are you?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Of course not," said Bill. "But if anyone betrayed us it could only have been him. That doesn't sound likely, does it."

Everyone shook their head.

"I suppose," Mr Weasley said hesitantly. "Is it possible they recognised the van?" All eyes turned to the battered wreck behind them.

"Does Lucius Malfoy know?" Harry asked. "He's been broken out of Azkaban." No one could answer.

"We originally were planning on using hired cars," Mr Weasley said anxiously. "But with the news of nearby Death Eaters… the plan had to change. We didn't have time to wait."

"So what now?" Ron asked. He looked around. "Remus, Tonks and Mad-Eye are out there, they need our help. What's the plan?"

Bill and Mr Weasley shared a look.

"We'll need to get rid of the van," Mr Weasley said lightly, a pained expression on his face. "It'll be a dead give away if anyone spots it."

"What?" Ron frowned.

"We can have it scrapped," said Bill. "Fleur's Gardevoir can take it away in the morning."

"Bill?" Ron queried. "What's wrong with you two? Why are you talking about the van when you should be talking about the others? It still works, right? We can go back for them."

"Mad-Eye's instructions were clear," Bill said firmly, not meeting Ron's eye. "If anyone was left behind we were not to go back."

"What?" Ron spluttered. "Forget what he said, he's in danger. He needs our help."

"Ron," Mr Weasley said quietly.

"We can't," retorted Bill. "Going back simply puts more lives in danger and increases the chances of You-know-who finding where Harry is, which is exactly why Moody had this plan in place."

"Oh, for Arceus's sake, Bill, just call him Voldemort!" Ron complained loudly. "And if you are too scared to even say his name then maybe you shouldn't be leaving your friends at his mercy!"

"Ron," Mr Weasley pleaded. "These are Mad-Eye's orders."

"Screw the orders!" Ron snapped. "Moody doesn't get to decide whether we're allowed to try and save him or not. He doesn't have to live with it if we don't. Back me up here, Harry."

Every eye turned to him in an instant. For the most part the gazes were attentive, waiting for him to come down on one side or the other, Bill and Mr Weasley in particular looking anxious that he might choose to side with Ron. Ron, meanwhile, was looking almost desperate.

Harry sighed heavily.

"It's been at least an hour since we last saw them," he said tiredly. It had been so long since he'd slept. "Either they've been captured or they've got away. Either way us going back won't help them. They stayed behind so we could escape. Let's not make that sacrifice for nothing."

Ron appeared to deflate. He looked exhausted, as though he too had been on that wild ride with them. Harry couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for him to wait behind, knowing his two best friends, his girlfriend even, were likely in grave danger and not being able to help. Or even know if they needed it.

"Let's go inside," Mr Weasley said gently, taking in the exhausted and shaken gathering. "Have something to eat. The others know to come here if they can."

Harry nodded. Although food was about the last thing he was thinking of right now he longed to be able to just sit down and rest. Exhausted, and dreading what was to come, he wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulders and followed Mr Weasley up to the house.

* * *

**A/N:** That's it for this chapter. Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for more updates.


	3. A Long Night

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Mrs Weasley had food prepared for them up at the Burrow and, after quickly heating it up, it was just as delicious as ever. Harry hadn't realised just how hungry he was. It had been some time since he'd left the Dursleys earlier that evening.

Unfortunately he found he couldn't eat much. A couple of bites was enough to satiate his hunger and after that Harry's appetite deserted him. Instead he sat there, food sitting before him on the plate, and kept quiet, his gaze periodically wandering out the door, left open, and down the track that led away from the Burrow.

Eventually there was movement in the group, breaking up the monotony of their wait. It started with Mr Weasley, standing up and saying he should move the minivan to a more sheltered location as they waited for the opportunity to have it scrapped. Bill followed him, saying something about helping, and once they were both gone Mrs Weasley set about gathering up all the uneaten food, Fleur and Hermione helping her, to keep it for later when everyone was feeling hungry, and hopefully for when the others finally returned.

Harry stepped outside. The night air was silent, other than the vague clunking of Mr Weasley's minivan, and Harry stared out into the darkness, hoping desperately that Remus was alright. He wished he could have gone back for him, as Ron had suggested, back for Tonks and Moody too, but the look on Remus's face as he'd stared back at him, disappearing into the distance, told Harry all he needed to know. Remus had expected to die, and he had done so willingly. He'd been willing to sacrifice his life for Harry, and Harry could not risk that sacrifice being for nothing.

The sounds of footsteps caught Harry's attention and he looked up to find Bill walking towards him.

"We've hidden the van behind the shed," Bill told him, wiping his hands together and glancing back to where it stood. "Dad stayed behind to work on some stuff." Harry nodded. Bill paused. "You doing alright?"

"I'm fine," said Harry, almost automatically.

"You know there's still a chance they got away," Bill told him. "There's any number of reasons they haven't got back yet."

"But we know which is most likely," Harry pointed out. Bill fell silent. "It's okay, Bill, I understand. This wouldn't be the first time."

Bill looked at him, a pained expression on his face, and it struck Harry just how much older Bill actually was. He was nine years Harry's senior, almost as close in age to his parents as he was to him, but Bill had always seemed to be just another one of the kids, just older and more mature.

"They're tough, Harry," Bill told him, almost as though he needed to convince him that everything was alright. He could not deal with Harry's easy acceptance of the truth. "Mad-Eye's got more lives than a Meowth, if anyone can get them out of there he can."

Harry didn't say anything. What good was there in arguing over it?

Bill shifted awkwardly.

"Eh, look," he muttered nervously. "This may be a bad time…"

Harry looked at him, a slight frown crossing his features. "What?"

Bill sighed. "Look, I don't want to get involved," he said, sounding very much like he'd rather do anything but speak about whatever he was just about to. "But, well, I wouldn't be a good big brother if I didn't look out for it." Suddenly it clicked.

"Ginny," Harry said simply. Bill nodded. "That's… that's complicated."

"Isn't everything?" Bill remarked. Harry conceded the point.

"I'm trying to keep her safe," Harry told him. "I don't know how much good it will do but…"

"You're trying," Bill finished for him. He nodded in acceptance. "Good. I am too. Maybe between us we can manage something."

Harry was surprised by the relief that spread through him at these words. Of course, he had known Bill would look out for her, as would Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, and Ron, but to actually hear it said in such simple terms helped put his mind at ease.

"So," Bill said slowly, milling around for words. "You and Ginny… Interesting." Harry felt a smile cross his lips.

"Bill, I don't think you're the sort of person I should be talking to about this," he said with a hint of humour.

"I'm trying," Bill defended. "Really, I am."

"I know," Harry told him. He smiled. "Thanks."

Letting out a breath Bill relaxed, and he smiled back.

"Incoming!" Mr Weasley's voice shattered the silence. "We have incoming!"

Immediately Harry and Bill snapped to attention, hands going to the Pokéballs at their belts as they gazed down the dirt track leading away from the house.

A small group was staggering towards them. Although unclear in the darkness it seemed as though there were two people, one leaning heavily on the other, flanked by two gargantuan figures that could only be Pokémon.

"Magnemite, Flash!" Mr Weasley called and from the work-shed shone a bright light, illuminating the garden and the path before them, stretching just far enough to throw the figures into focus.

"Remus!" Harry shouted and he ran forward, making up the distance in no time even as he heard the commotion behind him. With Bill thundering along behind him Harry was all but ready to throw himself at Remus, relief flooding his body, but he stopped himself just in time as he saw who Remus was supporting.

Tonks looked very pale. Her eyes were unfocused, she seemed barely aware that they were there, and she leaned heavily on Remus's shoulder. On Remus's other shoulder sat Ditto, looking down at its trainer in worry, and behind them stood Remus's Abomasnow and Moody's Conkeldurr. In Conkeldurr's palm lay the still form of Murk the Murkrow.

"Harry," Remus gasped in relief, his form seeming to slump as he realised he'd made it. "You're alright." Harry nodded.

"Are you okay?" Bill had caught up with them, Mr Weasley panting heavily as he too reached them a second later. "Where's Moody?" A simple look from Remus said it all.

"I'm fine," Remus told them, answering Bill's original question. "But Tonks is in a bad way." He shifted slightly and it suddenly became clear why Tonks was out of it. Her right side was covered in blood.

"We'll take her from here, Remus," Mr Weasley said quickly, Bill taking ahold of Tonks and freeing the exhausted Remus from her weight. Bill scooped the young auror up into his arms and hurried off up to the house.

"I tried my best to stop the bleeding," Remus told them, his face pained. "But there were Death Eaters everywhere, we couldn't hang around."

"You did good, Remus," Mr Weasley assured him firmly, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "You got her here. I promise we'll do everything we can to fix her up."

Remus nodded in relief, looking just about ready to keel over, but he shook himself, forcing his body to continue moving forward as he followed Bill's disappearing figure back up to the house.

When they got there the Burrow was already full of activity. Tonks had been laid down on the sofa in the living room, Mrs Weasley barking out orders as she was already working away at cleaning the wound.

"Everyone, give the poor girl some space," she instructed. Her eyes fell on the contingent as they entered the room, softening as they fell upon Remus. "Remus, dear, do you have any injuries?"

"Not me," Remus said, shaking his head tiredly. "Murkrow needs some assistance though. He took a rather nasty blow during our escape."

"Lay him on the armchair then," Mrs Weasley instructed. "Fleur and I will take care of him. Ginny, please fetch our Pokémon medical supplies too. Everyone else, out."

Nobody dared argue. Leaving Tonks and Murk in the safe hands of Fleur and Mrs Weasley, the rest of them stepped into the kitchen. As Remus sank gratefully into a chair Hermione hurried over to get him some food.

"Thanks, Hermione," Remus said gratefully, though he didn't eat. Harry assumed he was too worried about Tonks.

There was a brief silence.

"What happened?" Asked Ron. He was very pale, the sight of Tonks all blooded having given him a slightly sickly look. "You escaped. How? What happened? Where's Mad-Eye?"

"Ron," Mr Weasley said gently, giving him a warning look. Remus, however, waved him away. He straightened up, wincing slightly, and took a breath.

"Mad-Eye is dead," he said, his voice ringing hollowly throughout the room. "After Arthur drove the rest of you away he tried to give Tonks and I the chance to escape. He almost did too but… I honestly can't believe it…" Remus shook his head despairingly.

"What is it?" Harry asked softly.

"Voldemort," said Remus, a shiver going around the room. He shook his head again. "Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believe it but he… he sent down an attack, a fireball like attack, and it hit Mad-Eye…"

"Wait, Voldemort did this?" Ron said loudly. "Not a Pokémon but Voldemort? Remus, are you sure about this?" Harry, Hermione, Bill and Mr Weasley shared a look. They were quite sure.

Remus didn't notice.

"Believe me, I was shocked," Remus told them. "But it happened and, given what we'd seen…"

"Ron," Hermione said hesitantly. "Ron… Voldemort can fly."

Ron looked at her. "What?" He spluttered. "You mean on a Pokémon?"

"No," Bill told him, and his voice was grim. "Just him, flying. I have no idea how but I saw it, we all did, and given what happened to Mad-Eye I think we're only just scratching the surface of what he's capable of."

An uncomfortable quiet settled over the room.

"Dumbledore told me that Voldemort had experimented beyond anything ever seen before," Harry said softly into the silence. "Who knows what he's capable of."

There was silence at Harry's pronouncement, only broken when Mrs Weasley stepped into the room. All eyes turned to her.

"Tonks is stable," she announced, to much relief around the table. "She's very tired but should be up for company, but only a few at a time." At this Remus stood from his seat, walking past Mrs Weasley with a quick murmur of thanks, to join Tonks in the other room.

"We're working on Murkrow at the moment," Mrs Weasley continued tiredly. "But he should be fine. Pokémon are much more resilient than people. As for the rest of you, you should be getting some sleep."

"I agree," Mr Weasley spoke up. "This has been a hell of a night."

"Including you, Arthur," Mrs Weasley said sharply. Mr Weasley nodded. "It's been a tough day, for all of us. We've all deserved some sleep, and rest."

* * *

Sleep did not come easy to Harry that night. Lying in Ron's attic bedroom he had barely drifted off before his memories of the battle, the flashes of light and the bangs and scrapes as Mr Weasley's minivan was torn apart, careening down the dark roads in the abandoned countryside, caused him to jerk awake once more, gasping for breath.

The quiet of the room calmed Harry's racing pulse, the only sound being that of Ron's comfortingly familiar snores, and as his breathing steadied Harry tried to get back to sleep.

But he couldn't. Though his body was exhausted his mind was awake, reliving and reanalysing the battle in a near constant stream of thought. There was so much that was still unanswered, so much that scared Harry.

Unbidden the image of Voldemort flying through the night rose before him.

He sat up. Clearly he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep tonight. Glancing at the clock, recognising that it was still very early in the morning, Harry decided to get some fresh air, and perhaps a glass of water. He rose to his feet, absently scratching Umbreon's head as he glanced up at him, Talonflame and Pikachu remaining unresponsive, and he picked his way across the room, carefully stepping over the sleeping form of Arcanine as he lay on his back, paws in the air, and stepping out of the room.

The house was quiet as Harry slowly descended the stairs, doing his best not to make too much noise. Everyone was obviously exhausted, as was Harry, and he couldn't blame them for getting a well deserved rest.

Harry had thought he was the only one up, due to the stillness of the Burrow, but as he reached the bottom of the stairs he heard murmurs coming from the living room. Tentatively, not wanting to announce his presence, he crept forward.

The door to the living room was ajar and, as Harry crept closer, he realised that someone inside was crying.

"It's alright," murmured a voice and Harry recognised it immediately as Remus. He was crouched by the sofa, just visible through the crack in the doorway. "It's okay. I know what you're going through."

The person he was talking to, Tonks, Harry quickly deduced, let out a sniff.

"You do, don't you," she said, her voice tinged with sadness that was reflected on Remus's face. "I'm sorry Remus, I shouldn't be putting this on you."

"But I want you to," Remus told her firmly. "I remember my vows. In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad."

Vows? Harry's eyes widened and he let out an involuntary gasp.

Remus's gaze snapped towards him. "Who…" he said sharply, rising to his feet, but halfway there he recognised who was watching and his eyes softened. An ever so slight smile covered his lips.

"Harry," he said with a sigh of relief. "Why don't you come in." Harry pushed the door open gingerly.

"Sorry," he murmured, ducking his head with guilt. "I just came down for a glass of water and some fresh air. I promise I wasn't eavesdropping… for long."

Tonks let out a watery laugh. "Been there," she muttered.

Harry stepped into the room.

"So," he said hesitantly. "Was I hearing things right? Are you married?" Remus and Tonks shared a look.

"We eloped," Remus told him with a smile. "Admittedly our relationship is young but given the current climate… plus, you know how easy I am to lead on. How could I say no?" Tonks laughed.

"Wow," said Harry, flabbergasted. "Wow, well, congratulations. I mean, that's amazing. I really wish I could have been there."

"It happened very quickly," Remus assured him. "Something that highly displeased my new in-laws. Well, except Ted."

"No one was invited," Tonks told him. "It was just the two of us, the minister and…" she trailed off, a pained expressing crossing her face.

"Mad-Eye acted as a witness," Remus explained sadly. "And he and Conkeldurr doubled as security." His lips twitched ever so slightly, as if recalling a fond memory, before his smile faded and he looked out through the still open front door.

Harry looked too.

Conkeldurr stood guard, his hulking figure just visible in the slowly lightening sky as he gazed off into the distance. Murk the Murkrow stood on his shoulder, a white bandage wrapped around his head looking comically out of place as he too stared motionlessly down the road that led to the Weasleys' property.

"They've been standing there for hours," Remus said tiredly. "They have not moved for even a moment."

Harry had a horrible thought. "You don't think," he stammered. "You don't think they might be waiting for him?"

Remus sighed.

"Perhaps," he said. "But they must know he's gone. I think it is far more likely that they are just picking up where Moody left off; protecting us."

Tonks let out a loud sniff. "Makes sense," she said, her voice strained. "That's always been his way. You don't get scars like that without putting your body on the line."

And now he had done so one time too many. It was left unsaid but they all knew it.

Harry looked back at the Pokémon.

"What will happen to them?" Harry asked. "Now that Moody's gone." Remus grimaced.

"Usually this would be something specified in a will," he told him. "But Moody didn't have one. He said it was an unnecessary risk to those he cares about to admit it in writing where anyone can find out."

"Damn fool," Tonks sobbed. Remus gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

He turned back to Harry.

"What happens in the case of no will is that the Pokémon are released into the wild, unless a family member takes responsibility for them," Remus explained. "For your father, with no family left - you were too young to claim them yourself - his Pokémon were as such set free."

"So they're still out there?" Harry asked, surprised. Remus shrugged.

"I do not know," he said. "That's the problem. Keeping track of wild Pokémon is damn near impossible. That's why I think it's a good idea for someone to lay claim to Conkeldurr and Murk."

"But who?" Harry wondered. "Does Moody have family?"

"In a sense," said Remus. He looked over to Tonks.

"What? No," she denied, shaking her head wildly. "Remus, I can't."

"Mad-Eye thought of you as a daughter, Dora," Remus told her. "He would have wanted you to look after them, and he'll have wanted them to protect you."

"But I can't, Remus," Tonks told him, tears in her eyes. "I can't just take his Pokémon."

"Do you really have a choice?" Harry wondered. Remus and Tonks turned to him. "Do any of us really believe Moody hasn't planned for something like this happening?" He glanced at the Pokémon. "I reckon they are going to protect you, no matter what, Tonks. Best thing to do is just accept it."

Tonks stared up at him. She appeared completely overcome. Harry felt bad for making things even worse for her but he knew she needed to hear it. Crying Tonks was not something he had ever expected to witness.

Remus stepped forward.

"Why don't we discuss this later," he suggested and a look of relief swept over Tonks's face as Remus gently rested her back down on the sofa. "You're exhausted, we all are. Just try to put everything from your mind and get some sleep."

"Okay," Tonks murmured, her eyes falling closed even as she allowed Remus to lower her onto the sofa. In a matter of moments she had drifted off to sleep.

As Tonks's subtle snores filled the room Remus looked across at Harry and gestured towards the door. Harry nodded.

Together they stepped out into the warm night air, each taking in a deep breath as they stood side by side, joining Conkeldurr and Murk in their silent vigil.

Harry frowned.

"Is it safe to stay here?" He asked, looking at Remus worriedly. "If the Death Eaters were able to recognise Mr Weasley's minivan…"

"They would have already attacked," Remus said calmly. "We are at our weakest now. If Voldemort knew where the Weasleys lived he'd have turned up long ago." Harry shivered.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that," he said. "Why didn't we go to Grimmauld Place?" Remus let out a sigh.

"Snape knew of Headquarters," he said, with a decidedly unhappy expression. "We were forced to evacuate immediately. It's a minor miracle we were never attacked before Snape showed his true colours."

Harry kept quiet. While he knew a lot more about Snape's role in Dumbledore's death, information that led Harry to believe that Snape was still loyal to their side, he knew it was better not to mention any of it. The fewer people who knew of Snape's true loyalties the stronger his position was.

"I would not be too concerned of Voldemort finding us here," Remus told him, interrupting his internal monologue. "The Pokémon world is surprisingly backwards in many ways. Residency is barely registered but in the broadest of terms. The only ones who know the Weasleys live here would never share that information."

"Although that has made the wedding slightly more complicated," Remus said, injecting a lighter tone to his voice. "Organising guests has been tricky. There's been more than a few cut."

Not that Harry was likely to be able to show his face anyway. He was a ticking time bomb, a danger to those around him just through association, and if anyone knew he was here and tipped off Voldemort Harry would never forgive himself.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for more updates.


	4. The Will Of Albus Dumbledore

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Moody's death would not soon be forgotten. However it did find itself fading into the background over the coming days. Bill and Fleur's wedding was less than a week away and all sorts of tasks were still to be done, Mrs Weasley drafting in every single member of the household to do their bit.

One such task Harry ended up being set was to make the bed in Percy's bedroom, the room which would soon play host to Fleur's relatives, the Delacours.

Monsieur and Madame Delacour arrived at the burrow two days before the wedding and, although clearly of greater wealth than the Weasley family, they appeared absolutely charmed by the unique dwelling place, and did not complain once despite the fact that the Weasleys' single bathroom now served a combined total of thirteen people.

The Delacour parents were joined by Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle, who Harry remembered vaguely in passing from when the families had joined the Tri-Pokémon Champions before the final task of the tournament. She was eleven now, and would tell anyone who would listen how excited she was to be starting at Beauxbatons in a month's time.

She also appeared rather taken with Harry. More than once on her first day at the Burrow she had to be pulled away by Fleur as she gabbled to Harry non-stop in slightly broken English. Not that Harry minded. She wasn't hurting anyone.

The next day, however, was Harry's birthday. It was his seventeenth, which in the Pokémon world was arguably the most important birthday in a trainer's life. It was the day Harry became legally recognised as an adult but, since it was the day before Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry did not expect anyone to make a big deal out of it.

* * *

"Morning, Harry. Happy Birthday," Mrs Weasley greeted him as he entered the kitchen that morning, bustling around the table to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning, Mrs Weasley," Harry replied.

"Now, sit down and have some breakfast," she told him, pushing him towards a seat. "Eat up and enjoy yourself. You are officially off the hook for wedding preparation duties."

"Oh, no, I want to help," Harry assured her.

"Nonsense," said Mrs Weasley. "It's your birthday, I won't hear of it." And she bustled off. Across the table Hermione tried to hide her smile.

Accepting that Mrs Weasley wasn't going to allow him to help Harry settled down to eat his breakfast. Remus was already down and Tonks, still recovering but now able to stay upstairs, joined soon after. The Delacours stopped by, wishing Harry a happy birthday, and Ron lumbered in after a while, having to be prompted by his mother in his half asleep state to do the same. Harry just smiled.

By this point the kitchen had grown incredibly busy, an inevitability with so many guests, and so Harry decided to make his exit. He stepped outside.

And immediately ran into Ginny.

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Hi."

Ginny looked equally caught off guard. "Hi," she replied, before her expression began to clear. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," said Harry. There was an awkward pause.

"So, eh," he said haltingly. "Eh, what were you doing out here?"

"Oh, flower picking," said Ginny. "For the wedding." She showed him her slightly green fingers.

"Oh, right," said Harry.

Awkward silence fell again.

"Eh," they both said at the same time, immediately falling silent as the other spoke.

"You go," Harry said hastily.

Ginny waved him away. "No, I insist."

There was another awkward pause.

"Sorry, I didn't actually have anything to say," Harry admitted after a moment, scuffing the ground with his foot and flushing in embarrassment. Ginny didn't comment.

Harry sighed.

"This is…" he muttered. "God, this is awful. When did things get so weird between us? How did we let this happen?"

"Well," Ginny said thoughtfully, scratching her chin. "I think we're just a bit confused. We don't really know what's going on. It's complicated."

"Right," Harry agreed, relieved they were thinking along the same lines. "That's what I said to Bill." Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry flushed. "He kinda noticed… you know, when I got here…" Ginny's expression fell.

"Right," she said softly, clearly thinking back to what had happened that terrible night. Harry kicked himself for bringing it up, wanting nothing more than to try and comfort her, but he was torn. He wasn't really sure how he was supposed to act around her anymore.

The sound of something approaching drew Harry's attention and he turned, preparing to sound the alarm. Then he realised who it was.

Dumbledore's Dragonite soared towards them, gliding gracefully through the air and landing lightly with barely a rustle as he stood there, messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"Dragonite," Harry greeted, his voice relieved. The dragon Pokémon let out a low call in response. "How are you?"

Last Harry had seen of Dragonite he'd been flying him and Professor Dumbledore up to the tallest tower of Hogwarts. It was there that Dragonite was forced to say goodbye to his beloved trainer as Dumbledore prepared to finally leave his life behind.

Dragonite gave Harry a sombre look, conveying everything Harry needed to know, and he reached into his bag.

"So I suppose you're working for McGonagall now?" Harry said as Dragonite handed over Ginny's Hogwarts letter. "Or at least for Hogwarts?"

Dragonite nodded, and then he held out a letter for Harry too.

Harry stared at it, and grimaced.

"You must know I'm not coming back," he said, a pained feeling in his chest. Dragonite did, Harry could see it in his eyes, but still he held out the letter.

Harry accepted it.

"Give me Ron and Hermione's too," he told him, grimacing as he took the letters from the delivery Pokémon.

Having passed on what he had been sent to deliver Dragonite swung his bag closed.

"Take care," Harry told him and, with a small call of ascent, Dragonite shot off into the air.

Harry watched as Dragonite disappeared far into the distance before turning to the letters in his hand. A heavy weight seemed to settle in his stomach as he looked down at them. He had made his decision about leaving Hogwarts and he knew it was the right one. It was just hard to deal with now he'd been so thoroughly reminded of what he was leaving behind.

Beside him Ginny was opening her letter and, as she pulled it out, Harry remembered that she was due to be receiving her APE results.

"How did you do?" He asked.

Ginny shrugged. "Fine," she said, folding the paper and returning it to the envelope. Considering the current state of the world grades just did not seem so important. Ginny glanced at him.

"You going to open that?" She asked. Harry looked down at his letter.

'No' was going to be his answer - there was nothing in the letter that would change anything - but as he thought this he felt something solid beneath his fingers. He cracked open the envelope and pulled out the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain badge.

He turned it over gingerly in his fingers. "Guess I won't be needing this," he said, and he held it out to Ginny.

Ginny's eyes widened. "What? Harry…"

"Take it," Harry told her. "Without me and Ron you're definitely going to be Quidditch Captain. You're easily the most experienced player we have."

"The only one we have left," she corrected but she accepted the badge nonetheless, running her fingers over its hard edge. "The Quidditch team's going to be so weak without you."

"You've still got the others," Harry assured her. "Dean, Seamus, Demelza, Anna, Jimmy, they're all good players."

"But none of them are Seekers," Ginny reminded him. "Although with you and Cho gone, and who knows about Malfoy, that might not be such a problem."

"Jimmy's going to try out for Seeker," Harry told her. "I spoke to him about it before the final last year, I reckon he'll do a good job."

"I suppose so," Ginny murmured, looking down at the badge. She sighed. "Things are so different now."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. More than ever he found himself longing for his younger years, when the biggest worry he had was whether he could beat Malfoy to the Snitch. "Yeah, everything's changed."

"Well," Ginny said suddenly. "Not everything." A mischievous grin crossed her features. "I do remember you've won the affections of a young, eleven year old before. At this very house, in fact."

Harry groaned.

"She doesn't leave me alone," he grouched, glancing behind him almost as though expecting Gabrielle to be lurking there. "She talks non-stop. I mean, it's sweet that she has a crush but at least with you you were too embarrassed to say anything. Very awkward though."

"Oh, don't remind me," Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "I can't believe I acted like that, you must have though I was a right mess."

"No, it was cute," Harry smiled. "But I definitely prefer you now. You're…"

He couldn't complete the sentence. He knew what he would have said - smart, beautiful, amazing - but once again he was caught short as he sensed that barrier he wasn't supposed to cross.

Yet, as he looked down at Ginny's beautiful smile, he found himself longing to do nothing more than kiss her. And the longer he looked the less his objections seemed to matter.

"Oh," a voice spoke and Harry snapped out of it, turning to find Bill standing behind them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Eh…" Their hesitation answered the question for him.

"Right," he said, looking to simply brush past the moment. "Well, I came looking for Ginny. Breakfast is just about finished."

"I haven't had breakfast," Ginny blurted out.

"I know," Bill noted. "That's why I'm here."

"She was just coming back, she was picking flowers," added Harry, feeling a bizarre need to explain. "I just bumped into her and we started talking, nothing…" but Bill was no longer paying attention.

"What the…?" He muttered, looking off into the distance, and, confused, Harry and Ginny turned to look.

Two figures were striding up the path towards them. One of them, with flaming red hair, Harry could recognise easily. Percy Weasley was striding up the path alongside a much older gentleman, a grizzled man walking with a limp and the aid of a stick.

"Oh," Ginny gasped. "It's the Minister for Pokémon."

Harry had never met Rufus Scrimgeour, the man tasked with taking over from Cornelius Fudge when Voldemort's return became public, but he had seen pictures, if only in the black and white of the Daily Prophet.

He had a striking appearance.

"I'll go tell the others," Ginny said and she disappeared back into the house, leaving Harry and Bill on their own.

Bill stepped forward.

"I'm going to see what they want," he said, turning to Harry. "You should take cover inside."

"I think they know I'm here by now," Harry pointed out. The Minister and Percy were approaching the front gate.

Bill didn't have time to argue. The Minister was fast approaching so he fell silent, striding forward to meet the visitors as Harry followed in his wake.

"Minister," Bill greeted respectfully before turning to his brother. "Percy, what is the meaning of this?"

Percy looked anxious.

"Please, Bill, hear me out," he said quickly. "It is very important that the Minister be here. We have an important matter to discuss."

"And what is that?" Harry asked, directing his question at Percy.

It was Scrimgeour who answered.

"The last will and testament of Albus Dumbledore," he said clearly, yellowish eyes focused on Harry. "Harry Potter, I presume." He held out a hand.

"Minister," Harry responded politely, accepting the handshake. Scrimgeour had a firm grip.

"Perhaps we can do this inside," Scrimgeour suggested, glancing up at the Burrow. "And if you would kindly inform a Ms Hermione Granger and a Mr Ronald Weasley that their presence is required."

* * *

Five minutes later found Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting on the single sofa in the living room, watching as Rufus Scrimgeour settled himself into a seat opposite.

The four of them were alone. Both Mr Weasley and Bill had objected, insisting someone else be present, but as all three of them were of age they could not really come up with a valid argument for staying so they, along with Percy, moved to the kitchen to wait.

Settling himself down Scrimgeour settled his eyes on them.

"Let's get down to business," he said and he lifted a briefcase up into his lap, the item looking surprisingly heavy. He opened it, quickly extracting a sheet of paper from within, before he snapped it shut once more.

"The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Scrimgeour read. "To Ms Hermione Jean Granger, I leave you this journal, a helpful device I'd highly recommend and have used many times myself to un-clutter the mind and to find answers to what most needs to be solved." Scrimgeour reached into the briefcase and pulled out a journal.

He did not hand it over.

"Ms Granger, it has been pointed out to me that you, as well as Mr Weasley, did not have any relationship, so to speak, with Albus Dumbledore," Scrimgeour told her. "I am curious as to why he would include you in his will."

"Well, that isn't any of your business, is it," Ron told him brusquely. "Dumbledore can give anything to whoever he wants."

"Within reason," Scrimgeour noted. "But why Granger?"

Harry looked him in the eye. "You'd have to ask Dumbledore," he told him. Scrimgeour scowled.

"Very well," he said, handing over the journal which Hermione accepted gingerly. "For what it's worth the journal is blank."

"You read it?" Hermione gasped. "How dare you."

"Anything Dumbledore passes on may hold answers that could prove useful in this time of conflict," Scrimgeour barked. "We have no choice but to check everything."

"It's illegal," Hermione exclaimed.

"So sue me," snapped Scrimgeour. The room fell quiet.

Scrimgeour cleared his throat. He returned to the will.

"To Mr Ronald Billius Weasley, I leave this Blastoisinite, and accompanying accessory, to aid you in your upcoming battles." Scrimgeour pulled out the Mega Stone.

"Woah," Ron gasped, his eyes widening as he accepted the Blastoisinite, the Mega Stone lodged in some sort of harness that look capable of being wrapped around any one of Blastoise's thick limbs. "Wicked."

"I assume you have a Blastoise, Mr Weasley?" Scrimgeour questioned.

"Of course," said Ron, rolling his eyes. "It'd be a bit weird if I didn't, wouldn't it."

"Yes," Scrimgeour said simply and he turned away, looking back down at the will.

Harry's pulse quickened. What had Dumbledore left him?

"To Mr Harry James Potter, I leave two of my dearest friends, in the hopes that they can help guide you to where you need to go and protect that which you hold dear." And Scrimgeour reached into the briefcase and pulled out two Pokéballs.

"Dumbledore had many Pokémon," Scrimgeour stated, holding a Pokéball in each hand. "Some have remained at Hogwarts, some have mysteriously disappeared, and Dumbledore has chosen to leave these two with you." Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Harry looked at him. "How should I know?" He said. "You haven't even told me which Pokémon they are."

"Then why don't you find out," Scrimgeour told him and he held out the two Pokéballs.

Harry accepted, holding the Pokéballs gently as he gazed down at them in wonder. Dumbledore's Pokémon lay inside. Dumbledore had trusted his Pokémon to Harry.

He pressed the buttons.

"Chime!" Chimecho cried out and Harry unconsciously felt a smile rest on his face. The psychic type looked around, turning to see him, and wrapped her ribbon like tail around his arm with another cheerful cry.

The other Pokémon remained quiet. He stood where he had appeared, waiting for Harry to notice him at his feet, and when Harry turned he gave a small nod.

"Riolu."

* * *

Soon after handing over Dumbledore's final possessions Scrimgeour was gone, Percy going with him to help him return to the Ministry by way of Xatu's Teleport, but that was not before he peppered Harry with questions, most specifically on what Harry's connection with the two Pokémon he'd been gifted was.

For Chimecho it was easy. The psychic type had helped him out not once but twice when his life had been in danger in his younger years. But Riolu was more difficult to explain. Not able to divulge the contents of his private lessons with Dumbledore the year before Harry was forced to get creative, eventually coming up with the story that Riolu had helped comfort him after the death of his godfather.

It wasn't entirely false.

With Scrimgeour gone everything returned back to normal, final preparations for the wedding completed before, just after dinner, Harry was surprised by the appearance of a massive cake for his birthday, courtesy of Mrs Weasley.

Later, after everyone had eaten their fill and talked and laughed in anticipation for the next day, Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves together in Ron's attic bedroom, finally able to discuss the gifts Dumbledore had left them.

"I just don't get it," Hermione complained, throwing her hands in the air as she turned through page after page of the completely blank journal. "Why would Dumbledore have left me this?"

"Maybe he didn't have a hidden meaning," Ron suggested, admiring his new Mega Stone. "Maybe it was just so you could write down your thoughts." He looked at Harry. "What we were left with makes sense."

"But even then it doesn't," Hermione protested. "Dumbledore could have left so many more useful items. Like with Harry, why Riolu and why Chimecho? Surely Alakazam would be stronger, Gryffindor's Aegislash too. He could easily have left Fawkes with him."

"Maybe they have something else to do," Ron suggested. "Fawkes left after the funeral."

"And you, Ron," Hermione continued. "Blastoisinite? Where's the Pidgeotite? The Metagrossite? If Dumbledore had plans for us then why these plans? There's got to be a reason."

There was a brief silence as the three of them looked at each other.

Harry sighed.

"I don't know what Dumbledore's plan is," he said eventually. "But I know he'll have one. He's always been three steps ahead of everyone, even in death. And maybe it won't be clear to us what his plan is but I'm sure we'll find out eventually. In the meantime we've got to act as though we are on our own here. It's time _we_ made some plans."

"No," said Ron quickly. "Not yet." He looked pained.

"Ron?" Hermione asked worriedly. He glanced guiltily towards her.

"Can't we just hold off for a bit longer?" He said, turning to Harry with a desperate look. "It's Bill's wedding tomorrow, can't we just… can't we just wait one more day. Just one."

Harry considered him.

"Okay," he said quietly. He understood where Ron was coming from. Let there be one last good day before the trials truly began. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"And we will plan," Hermione promised. "We've got all the help we're getting, it's down to us now."

She left a few minutes later, creeping down to where she was sharing Ginny's bedroom on the first floor, and Harry and Ron quickly set about calling it a night. Soon enough the lights were out, the two boys tucked away in bed, and they prepared for sleep.

But Harry found he couldn't sleep. His mind raced with all the questions that still went unanswered, even though he himself had brushed them away earlier. He thought of Riolu and Chimecho, of Blasoisinite and Hermione's blank journal.

And, as he lay there, the absence of Ron's snores told him that he was thinking of it too.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Funny thing to mention is that this chapter was originally titled 'The Last Will And Testament Of Albus Dumbledore', but it was too long for . Also kudos to the reviewer at the end of 'Serpent's Secret' who predicted Harry would end up with Chimecho. I didn't think that anyone would guess that considering how often Chimecho as a Pokémon gets forgotten about.

That's all for now. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	5. The Wedding

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and early and soon enough the Weasley household had descended into uncontrollable chaos. Even though they had done much work in preparing for the wedding it appeared as though at least a dozen new, crucially important tasks had popped up overnight.

Bill, looking extraordinarily calm in comparison to his mother's frenetic behaviour, was quickly forced outside to the marquee where the wedding was to take place, Mrs Weasley insisting that Bill did not see Fleur before the wedding.

"It's just bad luck," she told him and Bill left without much complaint, instead taking his cue to stand in greeting with the few very early guests that had started to arrive.

By this point Harry had taken up permanent refuge in Ron's bedroom. He could not attend the wedding, not with the risk of accidentally revealing his location to Voldemort or the Death Eaters, and so he did his best to keep out of the way, sorely wishing that he did not have to but knowing it was necessary.

As the morning progressed the noises outside started to rise as more and more guests arrived. Harry could not see them, not wanting to be caught peeking through the window by any eagle eyed visitor, but he was well aware of the large commotion that Charlie made upon his arrival, flying in on the back of his fearsome Charizard. Fred and George turned up too, paying him a quick visit before hurrying back downstairs to take their seats, and as they did so the Burrow began to grow very quiet.

It was time for the wedding, music drifting up to the house over the chatter of guests, and Harry, torn, decided to take a calculated risk. He snuck out from Ron's bedroom and began to descend the stairs.

His timing could not have been more perfect. Just as he reached the second floor, merely a step away from the landing outside Percy's bedroom, the door swung open.

Fleur stepped from it, looking absolutely radiant in a wedding dress of pure white. It was simple, very plain, for it didn't need to be anything more for Fleur's natural beauty to shine through.

"'Arry?" Fleur questioned, looking surprised to see him there, but she smiled, her face lighting up. Harry smiled back.

"Congratulations," Harry told her.

Fleur's smile grew even more radiant and she nodded, before turning to begin the walk down the stairs to where her father was waiting for her, ready to give her away. Following behind her were her two bridesmaids, Ginny and Gabrielle, who shared small smiles with Harry before they followed the bride towards the ceremony.

That was the last Harry saw of the wedding. With Fleur and her bridesmaids gone, leaving the house empty, he returned to the safety of Ron's bedroom and, with no clue as to what was happening outside, he moved to distract himself, cracking open 'Gods on Earth'.

He'd read through the book many times before, he'd probably read through every page by this point but in his quiet moments he always found himself dipping back into it, fascinated by one Pokémon or another. And today, as it so often did, his mind turned to Rayquaza.

The image on the page showed that of a magnificent beast, an emerald serpent that soared through the sky and, given the rough measurements listed, would be some experience to meet in real life. Harry could easily understand how Tom Riddle had become fascinated by the majestic beast, especially with the connection it had with Slytherin house and Slytherin's bloodline, but why was it important? Was it even important?

There was a knock on the door. Harry jumped.

"Bonsoir," Gabrielle Delacour greeted, giggling at his surprise, and Harry felt himself relax somewhat. He turned his attention to the noises from outside, listening to the music now playing. The ceremony must be over, Bill and Fleur husband and wife.

"Uh, hi," said Harry, turning back to Gabrielle now that his pulse had fallen back to normal. He looked at her properly now. She was wearing a dress of pale gold and looked very pretty, her elaborately styled hair and elegant features making her look older than she actually was, but her personality remained constant.

"What are you doing?" She asked, bouncing into the room to sit down next to him on his camp bed, looking at the book in his hands.

"Reading," Harry told her.

"What about?" She asked. Harry glanced down at the book.

"Legendary Pokémon," he said and he quickly turned through the pages, waiting for something to catch his eye which it eventually did, Harry stopping on the chapter dedicated to Articuno. "This is one of the three legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. They have incredible power over ice, electricity and fire, respectively."

"Fascinant," Gabrielle gasped. "This is very interesting."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, closing the book softly. It really was.

"And what iz zat?" Gabrielle asked, pointing her finger across him. Harry turned to follow her gaze.

"Oh," he said. "That's a time plant. It stores memories." The delicate construct shimmered under his gaze.

"Really?" Gabrielle asked interestedly. "So if I used it I could see your memories?"

"Uh, sort of," Harry told her, picking up the shimmering blue plant and bringing it closer for her to see. "I found this quite recently so it only has my memories for the last couple of months or so. But there's probably loads it's seen, down by Hogwarts lake. It could contain anything."

"Fascinant," Gabrielle breathed, gazing awestruck at the plant.

Fascinant indeed, thought Harry.

"Gabrielle, what are you doing here?" Ginny had appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips as she fixed Gabrielle with a firm look. "You know you're not supposed to be up here."

"I was 'ere to see 'Arry," Gabrielle protested. "He's so lonely up 'ere."

"I'm aware, but nobody can know he is here, remember," Ginny said firmly. "You should return to the wedding."

Gabrielle pouted.

"Okay, I weel," she said, with a touch of petulance in her voice. She walked sullenly across the room. "Goodbye, 'Arry." And she disappeared from view.

Harry chuckled.

"The difference between you and her at the same age is like chalk and cheese," he noted. Ginny's firm look rested on him now.

His face softened.

"You look really nice," he told her, marvelling at the way the same dress managed to account for the very different beauties of both Ginny and Gabrielle. "That dress suits you. Not to say you're not beautiful when you're not wearing it." Ginny's eyebrows raised. Harry flushed. "I mean… the dress…" he snapped his mouth shut.

"You look nice," he said eventually. Ginny smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "You look nice too." Harry looked down at his jeans and t-shirt in amusement.

"I suppose the wedding's over?" He asked, glancing to the window from where he sat, beyond which he could hear the music of the live band the Weasleys had hired. "Bill and Fleur are married?"

"Yes," Ginny told him. "And it was beautiful. They're having their first dance right now." Harry's face fell.

"You should get back down there," he told her. "You shouldn't miss out."

Ginny looked as though she were going to leave, unhappily at that, but she hesitated in the doorway. She bit her lip.

"Come with me," she told him. Harry frowned.

"Ginny, I can't," he reminded her. "You know I can't show my face outside." But Ginny shook her head.

"Trust me," she told him and she walked away, disappearing from view.

Harry was left with no other option but to follow. Placing 'Gods on Earth' to one side he stood up and, stuffing the time plant he was holding into his pocket, he hurried out the door.

Ginny was waiting expectantly on the landing below and, as Harry approached her, she opened the door to her parents bedroom, gesturing for him to follow her.

"Ginny, what…?" Harry asked, stepping inside after her but she did not say anything, instead choosing to close the door behind him.

She turned to face him.

"Bill and Fleur are dancing down there now," she told him and she walked past where he stood, crossing to the window and cracking it open. The sound of music drifted through from the party below. "So are mum and dad, Remus and Tonks. Even Ron and Hermione are dancing."

"Can't believe I'm missing it," Harry quipped. Ginny didn't laugh. Instead she approached him, looking up into his eyes with a soft intensity that caused Harry to forego any act of talking.

"I want my first dance to be with you, Harry," Ginny told him, holding out her hand. "Will you dance with me?"

Harry accepted without question. He took her hand and pulled her close, resting his hands on her hips as Ginny's arms moved to wrap gracefully around his neck, and he held her, swaying ever so slightly to the music gliding up through the partially opened window towards them.

Ginny giggled.

"Is there something in your pocket, Harry, or are you just pleased to see me?" Harry flushed, but even through his embarrassment a smile tugged at his lips.

"I'm always pleased to see you, Ginny," he told her. They gazed at each other, the music going unnoticed in the background as they swayed slowly on the spot, the whole world seeming to go still around them.

"This brings back memories," Harry murmured, smiling as his mind went back those couple of years.

"The Yule Ball?" Ginny questioned. Harry nodded.

"I wish I'd danced with you more," he told her. "I suppose you don't really know what you've got until it's gone."

"I agree," Ginny told him. "That night was like a dream come true for little girl Ginny. But it has nothing on this."

"Nothing," Harry agreed.

Ginny sighed.

"I wish we could dance like this forever," she murmured, her voice tinged with regret. Harry's heart fell.

"You do have to go back eventually," he told her. "People will wonder where you've gone."

"Let them," Ginny retorted but she did so without venom. She rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "The world can wait for us to have this moment. It is the least we deserve."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, holding her close. "I will remember this, always."

"I look forward to more," Ginny told him and she leaned back to look him straight in the eye. "There are a lot more dances for us to have, Harry. This will not be the last, of that I swear. Promise me you feel the same."

Harry gazed into her eyes, marvelling at the sheer depth of emotion they were displaying, the hope, the fear, and above all the desperate determination driven by the most powerful emotion of all; Love.

"I don't know if I'll make it back to dance again," Harry told her, seeing the dark clouds begin to form in her gaze. "I can't promise that and let you down. But I do promise that if there is any way to win this war I will move heaven and earth just to see you again. You have my word."

He bent down to place a soft kiss on her forehead, his lips sealing his promise, and he drew her deep into his arms, holding her just as she held him as together they swayed to the final notes of the wedding band's song and prepared themselves for what was to come.

* * *

The wedding eventually came to an end. Bill and Fleur, after an afternoon of dancing and enjoying the company of their friends and loved ones, disappeared off on their honeymoon, courtesy of Fleur's Gardevoir, and all the guests, bar the Weasleys and the Delacours, left, allowing Harry to once more step outside without fear.

He revelled in his newfound freedom by venturing out into the Weasley's garden, in which sat a large clearing that the Weasley family often used for battles. He felt awfully restless after having been confined to the house all day and wanted the chance to take in some fresh air and stretch his legs.

With nothing to occupy him Harry set his mind on training. Before him stood Greninja, the water and dark type standing ready as he was surrounded by several other Pokémon.

The drill Harry had set up was simple, and was designed to test the limitations of Greninja's Protean ability, something Harry had been itching to make use of ever since he'd added Greninja to the team, over which time he'd been forced to sit on his hands as he waited to leave the Dursleys.

The Pokémon surrounding Greninja represented a variety of different types. Standing by Harry was Umbreon, there to use his ghost type move Shadow Ball, and also Pikachu for the electric type attacks. Talonflame hovered in the air, ready to use the normal type attack Razor Wind, and Riolu stood on the ground, readying his fighting type attacks. And lastly, with Chimecho choosing to remain up at the house, Harry had drafted in Ron's newly evolved Metagross, a Pokémon the redhead had worked with extensively over the summer for him to be as strong as possible for their mission, to use the psychic type attacks.

"Everyone ready!" Harry called out over the group, watching carefully as the Pokémon set themselves. "Begin!"

The first attack came from Pikachu, a Thunderbolt launched so fast that Greninja had no choice but to attempt to dodge on instinct, throwing himself aside as the attack buzzed past. A second attack, this one a Shadow Ball from Umbreon, was met with more confidence. Forming sharp blades in his webbed hands Greninja swiped through the oncoming attack with Cut, the Shadow Balls disintegrating on contact.

Harry watched in fascination as Greninja deftly evaded Talonflame's Razor Wind, using Shadow Sneak to move seemingly through the attack, and it was further enforced when Riolu's Vacuum Wave appeared to fly right through him. Metagross's Psychic was parried with a carelessly fired Dark Pulse, the psychic attack splashing uselessly against him, and a Force Palm from Riolu was successfully dodged as Greninja seemed to shift behind him.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked.

"Spikes!" Harry commanded, knowing Greninja could be in serious trouble if he did not register Pikachu's attack in time. Greninja responded immediately, whether because of Harry or if he'd noticed Pikachu himself, scattering a handful of vicious spikes across the ground as Pikachu launched his attack.

A bolt of lightning struck viciously from high above as Pikachu's Thunder came crashing down on Greninja, pummelling into him where he stood. It continued for several moments, illuminating Greninja's still form, before it eventually faded, leaving Greninja standing in its wake.

Spikes was a ground type move. An indirect counter but a counter nonetheless.

Greninja was unharmed.

Applause rang out from behind Harry and, surprised, Harry turned to see who had been watching his training.

It was Charlie.

"Very impressive," the second eldest Weasley boy said, his tone even as he stepped closer. He stopped clapping. "That's a strong Greninja. I assume it has some sort of special ability?"

"Yes," Harry said cautiously. "Protean." Charlie's demeanour was putting him on edge. "It allows him to change his typing."

"I see," said Charlie. He gazed at the spikes that littered the ground.

"Charlie," Harry said uncertainly as the silence stretched on. "Charlie, is everything okay?"

"You tell me."

Harry frowned.

"I don't know, you seem to have something bothering you," Harry said carefully. "I don't know what but if you want to talk about it… maybe you should tell me?"

Charlie fixed Harry with a steady gaze.

"You already know," he replied simply.

"Do I?" Asked Harry. "Because I don't think I do."

Charlie gave a humourless snort. "Surely you can figure it out," he said, a bite coming into his voice. "What has happened today that you think might have ticked me off?"

Harry stayed silent. He had no idea what Charlie was talking about but he was sure it was nothing good. Either way it would seem as though he'd find out soon enough.

Charlie turned away, staring off into the trees with a distasteful look on his face.

"It was a good wedding," he said, his voice gruff as he spoke, but steady. "There were a few things I had not… anticipated, a few people I had expected to be attending."

Harry's stomach dropped.

"Charlie, if it's about the wedding I'm sorry for the allowances that had to be made by my being here," he said earnestly. "I never wanted to make this day difficult for Bill or Fleur."

"It's not about that," Charlie snapped. Harry fell quiet. "I don't blame you for that. I didn't even mind. The less I see of Great Auntie Muriel the better."

"The wedding was fine," Charlie continued. "The ceremony was beautiful. I was very happy with it. And then that's when the dancing started, and not having a date I went off to find my sister to dance with me." And suddenly it hit Harry like a tonne of bricks.

"Charlie," Harry murmured but Charlie continued on.

"I realised she must have headed up to the house so I followed her," Charlie continued. "Then I bumped into Gabrielle and she said Ginny was with you and I thought nothing of it." He fell silent, shaking his head grimly.

"Imagine my shock when I found out what was happening upstairs."

"Charlie," Harry tried again but again he was cut off.

"No," Charlie said sharply, hard eyes turning to Harry with a vengeance. "I'm not here to listen to your excuses. You are putting my sister in danger with your actions and I am here to put a stop to it."

"Charlie," Harry objected but Charlie had built up ahead of steam.

"What right do you have to put my sister in danger?" He demanded. "Where do you get that right, Potter?"

"Well, Ginny chose me so I guess that's where I get my right," Harry argued back, his voice rising to match Charlie's own. Anger burned within him. How dare Charlie accuse him of this. "I don't want Ginny in danger any more than you do and I assure you I am doing my best to keep her safe."

"Your best," Charlie scoffed. "You know the best thing you could do? Leave. Leave her. If you really want to protect her then get as far as physically possible away from her and stay there. Don't bring You-know-who to her door."

"Call him Voldemort, Charlie, and I might listen to you," Harry shot back. "Listen to yourself. Do you not realise that Ginny might be well aware of how dangerous it is to be around me? It's not like this is new for her. Do you really think that little of her that you don't think she's thought this through? She's made her choice, and it is her choice to make."

"Even the smartest people can be wrong," Charlie bit back. "She has her choice, I grant you, but I have one too and I choose to protect her." He straightened up, glaring at Harry. "Get out your Pokémon, Potter. We're battling."

"What?" Harry gaped but Charlie wasn't joking. Around him Harry's Pokémon had already reacted. Umbreon had stepped to his side, ready to defend him, and Pikachu had stepped forward too with his fur standing on end, snarling at the redheaded trainer. "Don't do this, Charlie."

"I've made up my mind," Charlie told him firmly, even as he began to step backwards, moving towards the opposite side of the field they were standing on. "We'll battle, one on one, using our strongest Pokémon, and whoever wins, wins. If you defeat me I won't say anything more, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"And if you defeat me?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"Then you leave Ginny alone," Charlie told him. "You leave here and you don't come back."

Harry gazed across the field at Charlie, wanting to do nothing more than deny him the battle he was so desperately looking for. But he knew he couldn't do that. Charlie was determined and there was only one way for Harry to prove him wrong.

"Okay," he said softly, defeatedly. As he did so the soft rustling of wings sounded as Talonflame alighted on his shoulder. Harry glanced up at him.

"Guys," Harry said, turning his attention to the group of Pokémon gathered behind him. "Clear out." Some of the Pokémon needed no second prompting. Metagross, stuck between his trainer's brother and his trainer's best friend, was more than happy to be removed from the situation. Likewise Pikachu, Talonflame and Umbreon left with no complaints, silently understanding what Harry's words meant.

One of the last to leave was Riolu. He walked hesitantly from the field, towards the group that was gathering on the sidelines, but as he passed he stopped briefly, raising a paw to rest on Harry's leg. Harry understood. Better than anyone Riolu could sense how much this was hurting him, and for the simple act of sympathy Harry was grateful.

Only Greninja remained.

"You too, Greninja," Harry told him. Greninja looked resistant. "I've got someone else in mind for this battle."

Greninja stayed resolute, refusing to leave the field, and Harry understood why. Greninja was strong, stronger perhaps than any of Harry's other Pokémon, bar one, and he wanted to fight, needed to as it was his very reason for joining Harry.

Harry sighed.

"Greninja, please," he said softly. "If it were just down to winning this battle I would of course choose you to fight. But this is far more than just a battle."

Greninja stood still for a moment longer, his eyes meeting Harry's, before he nodded. The Pokémon remained unhappy, wanting to fight, but, whether it was because he understood what Harry was saying or if he had somehow felt it, from the bond that was still so unexplained between them, he stood down, moving to join the rest of the Pokémon in the shade of the trees.

Taking a deep breath Harry turned to Charlie.

"Ready?" He asked, a hand wrapping around the Pokéball on his belt, practically feeling the beast waiting within. In response Charlie raised his own hand into the air, a Pokéball held aloft.

In unison Harry and Charlie cocked back their arms and threw. Two Pokéballs flew through the air, two Pokéballs opened up to release the Pokémon within, and as the red light faded two Charizard appeared on the battlefield.

The two opponents stared across the battlefield, sizing each other up. They did not know why they were battling, or the true stakes of the fight, but both were loyal to their trainers and were ready to give their all.

The field remained still for a long moment, no referee to call the battle to a start.

Then Charlie moved.

"Charizard!" He called out across the field, barely visible behind his behemoth Pokémon. "Mega Evolve!"

Light burst from Charizard's form, stretching out blindingly from the flame of his tail, and from the Mega Stone that must lie hidden within. The tendrils of light met more emanating from Charlie, snapping together with a snap, and Charizard's form became obscured as it began to glow. It grew larger, its features becoming more angular as it went, and while all this was happening the temperature around the clearing rose sharply.

Finally the transformation reached its conclusion and the light burst, revealing Charizard's new form beneath.

Mega Charizard Y roared into the night.

Harry's hand found his own Key Stone.

"Charizard!" He called, feeling his Pokémon's anticipation as he pressed his fingers to the Key Stone. "Mega Evolve!"

And Mega Charizard X rose to meet its fellow Mega Evolved form, roaring just as loud as Mega Charizard Y, rising to its challenge as his and Harry's thoughts melded together, their pulse and determination becoming one, and as he stood in his new form Charizard finally understood what this fight truly meant. He growled.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Charlie shouted and a blast of fire burned its way through the air, so hot that Harry could feel it from where he stood. Charizard X stood his ground, taking the attack straight in the chest, his eyes burning as they stared through the flames.

"Flare Blitz!" Harry cried and Charizard rocketed forward, striking his opponent violently even as Charizard Y attempted to pull itself away. "Slash!"

"Dodge!" Charlie yelled and Charizard Y slipped back as Charizard X's claws swiped towards its belly. "Heat Wave!"

The strong wind bore down upon Charizard X, forcing him into a defensive position, as burning embers flickered around him.

"Stay strong, Charizard!" Harry called as Charizard dug in, arms up to protect in the face of the attack.

Charlie pressed on. "Now, Dragon Pulse!"

"Steel Wing!" Harry shouted and Charizard responded just in time. He wrenched his wings forward, setting up a barrier before him, and as Charizard Y's blast flew forward it clanged loudly against his defences, strong but unable to force its way through.

"Grab him!" Harry shouted and as the Dragon Pulse attack ended Charizard X launched himself forward, reaching out wildly to grab ahold of his opponent and clinging on with a desperate determination. Desperately Charizard Y tried to pull himself away.

Mega Charizard Y was a powerful Pokémon, there was simply no doubt about that. But its strength lay in its power with range attacks. Up close was a fight Charizard X was always going to win.

"Fire Fang!" Harry called and Charizard X lunged forward, digging his teeth into his opponent's neck, flames burning wildly in his mouth, causing Charizard Y to cry out in pain. It tried to pull away, thrashing to get free, but Charizard X's grip was just too strong.

The battle was already over.

"Sky Drop!" Harry commanded and Charizard, having been expecting the command the moment Harry had instructed him to grab hold, soared into the air, bringing Charlie's Pokémon with him. Together they hung there for a split second, time seeming to stand still as they soared, before they dropped like a stone. Charizard X threw Charizard Y into the ground like a rag doll and the mighty fire type folded, crumpling into the dirt.

* * *

**A/N:** That's all for this chapter, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for further updates.


	6. Taking Our Leave

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

"Charizard!" Charlie called in dismay, running forward even as Charizard Y returned to its usual form, defeated. "Charizard! Are you okay?!"

The fire and flying type gave the softest of calls, just enough to assure its trainer that it would be alright, before it fell quiet once more, resting its head on the ground as the last of its energy ran out.

Across the battlefield Mega Charizard X landed softly by Harry's side, his own transformation fading with the battle won, and Harry stepped forward.

"So, is that it?" He called, his voice harsh. "Do we understand each other now?" Charlie remained silent, kneeling by his Pokémon's side and looking down into the ground. "We had a deal."

"Yes," Charlie murmured, his voice barely able to croak out the words. "Yes. You win. I won't say anything."

Harry let out a soft sigh of relief, his anger starting to fade as he looked down on Charlie where he knelt, the dragon tamer beaten. Though they were at odds Harry couldn't help but understand that their goal, though they went about achieving it in different ways, was the same. They both wanted to see Ginny safe. They both would do anything to make it happen.

"No one knows about me and Ginny," Harry said softly, watching as Charlie's form seemed to stiffen at his words. "We've been keeping it a secret since we got together. And we're not planning on telling anyone." Harry paused. "I refuse to put her in danger if I can help it."

Ever so slowly Charlie looked up to face him. "Really?"

Harry swallowed.

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts," he told him, feeling like he had no other choice than to be honest with his plans. "I'll be leaving soon and, when I do, that will be the last time I'll get to see her… the last time until this is over."

"You promise?" Charlie murmured.

"I promise," said Harry. And he meant it. The war could not wait another day. It was time for Harry to fight.

And if one day the war was over and he was still alive, and that he could have the opportunity to return, he would come back to Ginny and dedicate every second of his life to making up for the time they spent apart.

* * *

After his battle with Charlie Harry was filled with renewed purpose. He called back the Pokémon he'd been training with and returned to the house, striding purposefully through the sitting room and up the staircase until he found himself standing on the landing outside Ron's bedroom door.

The light was on inside and, as Harry stood there, he heard the sound of talking and a little light laughter. It was enough to give Harry pause, not wanting to ruin the evening for his two best friends, but he knew he had no other choice.

He stepped through the doorway.

"Oh," Hermione gasped as she turned to the door, jumping away from where she'd been sitting in Ron's lap. Ron looked unperturbed.

"Hey, Harry," he said cheerfully, grinning up at him.

"We weren't doing anything," Hermione defended immediately and Harry paused. The pleased look on Ron's face seemed to negate that slightly.

"Sure," Harry said, his voice doubtful, but he moved on. "Listen, we need to talk." He closed the door behind him.

Ron and Hermione snapped to attention.

"Talk?" Ron wondered anxiously. "Talk about what?"

"Leaving," said Harry.

"Harry…"

"It's time," Harry said shortly, shaking his head and cutting through Ron's objections. "The wedding is over, there's no reason for us to stay here anymore. We need to leave."

"He's right," Hermione said softly, reaching out and gently taking hold of Ron's hand before he could object. "We knew this would come." Ron looked at Hermione before turning his head back to Harry. He sighed.

"Alright," he said tiredly. "What's the plan?"

For a moment nobody spoke.

"I say we leave the day after tomorrow," Hermione suggested, speaking up into the silence and showing she'd been thinking about this for a while. "That gives us a day to surreptitiously gather everything we need."

"Surreptitiously?" Ron questioned wearily. Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Mrs Weasley doesn't know we're not going back to Hogwarts, does she," Hermione said gently. "I'm not sure she'll be happy when she finds out." Ron hung his head.

Harry felt awful.

"I agree with Hermione," he said, trying his best to ignore Ron's downtrodden expression. "We go on Saturday."

"Do we have a place to go?" Hermione wondered. Harry nodded. "Where?"

"I think I know a place. It should be quiet," he said. "We'll start there. In the meantime get everything together that you think we'll need. Once we leave we're not coming back."

Ron and Hermione nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. It was a bleak future that lay ahead of them but they needed to see it through before they could bask in the comfort of family once more.

* * *

The next day Harry, Ron and Hermione did their best to prepare for their imminent departure, while simultaneously trying to pretend that nothing was going on.

They were helped somewhat by the distraction caused due to the high profile departures of various of the Burrow's guests, now that the wedding was over. Fred and George headed back to the flat they shared with Lee Jordan, Percy headed back to London with the explanation that he needed to be there for work, and though Charlie hadn't left yet, his mode of transport being Charizard who required some rest after his battle with Harry, he still made clear his plans to return to Romania as soon as possible.

The most notable departure was that of the Delacours. Mr and Mrs Weasley seemed rather disappointed they had to leave so soon, a sentiment that Monsieur and Madame Delacour seemed to share. Gabrielle, meanwhile, was heartbroken and was close to tears by the time her parents guided her away, even after Harry promised he'd see her again.

And with the final departure of Remus and Tonks, Tonks now healthy enough to return home, the Burrow became quiet once more.

Which made it rather difficult for Harry, Ron and Hermione to prepare.

"Harry, could I trouble you for a moment?" Mr Weasley asked as he caught Harry about to climb the stairs. Harry paused.

"Eh, sure, Mr Weasley," Harry told him, not wanting to seem too suspicious. "What do you need?"

"I have a few bits and bobs, gadgets and what-not, in my shed that I'd like you to have a look at," Mr Weasley told him. "I won't pressure you, of course, but I'd love it if we could have the chance to look over them."

"Eh," said Harry, glancing up the stairs. Ron stood there, waiting to see how the situation would work out, and simply shrugged in response. "Of course, I'd love to see what you have." Mr Weasley beamed.

"Wonderful," he said. "I'll just head over there now. Why don't you finish up whatever you are doing here and pop over when you're done." And he walked away, whistling jauntily as he went.

Harry quickly climbed the stairs to where Ron was standing.

"Blimey, what do you reckon he wants to show you?" Ron wondered quietly. "You don't think he knows something?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, he's very observant," Harry noted. Funnily enough it had been Mr Weasley that was the first to notice Harry's feelings for Ginny. "But maybe he really does just want to show me his gadgets."

"Some good bonding time with your future father-in-law," Ron joked. He caught the expression on Harry's face. "Sorry."

Harry waved it away. "Forget it, we need to focus on what's important," he told him. "Has Hermione…"

He fell silent as Charlie appeared on the landing above. The second oldest Weasley brother looked at them suspiciously as he passed, but didn't say anything. He likely figured out what was going on.

Charlie disappeared down the stairs.

"Hermione's dealt with it," Ron assured him once Charlie was out of earshot. "There's a bus that leaves early tomorrow and Hermione's got more than enough money for three tickets."

"Good," said Harry, relieved. "The more unobtrusive our travel the better." He glanced down the stairs. "I better be going."

"Good luck," said Ron and they parted, Ron moving to continue their preparations while Harry stepped outside, striding briskly towards Mr Weasley's shed, preparing for anything.

Mr Weasley's shed was a decent sized structure located not too far from the chicken coop which, if Harry had to hazard a guess, had originally been meant as a garage of sorts. Instead it was filled with various knick knacks that Mr Weasley had collected over the years, and the vehicles remained outside.

It was these knick knacks that Harry found as he stepped inside, the door not quite opening all the way due to something or other blocking it, and he slipped through to find Mr Weasley leaning over a work surface.

"Hello there, Harry," Mr Weasley greeted cheerfully, straightening up. "Come inside. And close the door behind you while you're at it, we're a bit cramped for space." Harry did as he was told.

"What are you working on?" He asked as he stepped forward, approaching the work station and peering over Mr Weasley's shoulder.

"Oh, this is a cassette tape," Mr Weasley informed him, turning back to the tape enthusiastically. "It is one of my favourites but unfortunately it got a bit damaged during our daring escape from Privet Drive. I'm hoping that the damage is limited to the casing only and so I am doing my best to make it workable once more."

"What happened with the minivan?" Harry asked. "Did Fleur take it to get scrapped?"

"Yes," Mr Weasley said with a sad sigh. "Unfortunately it was in no real condition to be saved. But we were able to get some money from it to help contribute towards a replacement, though of course my days of ferrying around large groups of people are probably at an end. The Ford Anglia will do just fine."

"Maybe next year," Harry told him. "But you'll have a hard time fitting four trunks into it."

Mr Weasley didn't say anything to Harry's comment. Instead he gazed down at the cassette before taking off his glasses and giving a sigh.

"I spoke with Charlie last night," he said softly. Harry tensed. "He was in quite a state. He said you weren't going back to Hogwarts."

Harry kept quiet. He didn't want to admit it was true but he also didn't want to flat out lie either, not to Mr Weasley.

"You're going to be leaving soon, aren't you," Mr Weasley said heavily, turning round to face Harry with a tired gaze. "You won't be staying much longer."

"Tomorrow," Harry said thickly. "I'm leaving before dawn."

"And you didn't want to say anything for fear we would try and stop you," Mr Weasley concluded. Harry nodded. "In all fairness that sounds like exactly what Molly would do." Harry waited. "I take it Ron and Hermione will be going, too?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said softly. Mr Weasley nodded.

"And you've got plans?" Harry nodded. "That you are willing to share?"

"I'm sorry sir," said Harry. "I can't tell you what we're doing, or where we're going. The fewer people who know the better." Mr Weasley nodded in understanding.

"I thought as much," he said. "Although without knowing your plans I won't know what you might need." Mr Weasley shifted over, revealing what was lying beneath the workstation. "Perhaps these will be helpful?"

Nearly half a dozen tent sets were stacked up beneath the workstation, laying haphazardly on top of each other.

"Are those…?" Harry wondered.

"The tents we used at the Quidditch World Cup," Mr Weasley confirmed, giving a nod. "Yes, they are."

"I thought these belonged to someone else," Harry wondered. "Your colleague, Perkins, wasn't it?"

"Indeed," Mr Weasley confirmed. "But camping unfortunately is a thing of the past for poor old Perkins. When I offered to return the tents he shot me down, insisted that I keep them. I'm sure one of them won't go amiss, if anyone were in need of a bit of shelter."

Harry looked at Mr Weasley.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. He couldn't be more grateful for the offer.

Mr Weasley faced him with a troubled look.

"Be careful out there, Harry," he told him. "I could not bare to lose any one of my children to this war."

"I'll keep Ron safe, sir, I promise," Harry told him. Mr Weasley shook his head.

"Not Ron, Harry," he said. "All of you. Look after yourselves. And good luck."

Harry swallowed painfully at his words, tears threatening to prick at his eyes, and he gave a small, slightly jerky, nod.

He would do his best to stay safe. He would try. He would try.

* * *

By that night the three of them were all packed, all but for the tent, which they would pick up on the way out. Their bags were stuffed. They set their alarms for early the next morning and so it was before the sun had begun to rise over the horizon that Hermione snuck up to Ron's bedroom to find the two boys awake, dressed, and ready to go.

"Got everything?" She breathed, looking between Harry and Ron. They both nodded back, neither feeling the desire to say any words. "Okay, let's go."

One by one they slowly descended the rickety staircase, expertly avoiding the creakiest of the creaky steps as they carried all they would need, or so they hoped, down towards the ground floor.

On the first floor, however, Harry came to a stop.

"Harry," Ron hissed, alerting Hermione, who was already making her way to the sitting room, that they'd come to a stop.

Harry bit his lip, glancing at the single door that led off the first floor landing.

"Give me a moment," he said. "I'll meet you downstairs." Ron looked like he was ready to protest, opening his mouth, but a gentle touch from Hermione brought him short. He gave a small nod.

Together Hermione and Ron continued down the stairs as Harry gently turned the doorknob and stepped into the room.

Harry had never been in Ginny's bedroom before. It seemed slightly larger than Ron's, probably due to the lack of sloping walls and Chudley Cannons posters plastered everywhere, and looked a fair bit softer. The furniture was sparse and useful, and the posters were limited to just the one wall. Harry could just about make out the autograph of Gwenog Jones in the slight light of the gently rising sun.

There were two beds in the room, one of which a camp bed used by Hermione during her stay, now well made as though no one had even slept there. The other, over by the window, was filled with a lumpy form which, as Harry moved closer, he came to see was Ginny, curled up under her covers, arms and legs sticking out to stave off the obnoxious summer heat.

As he stood there, watching over her, Harry drank in her appearance, well aware of what her reaction would be if she woke to see him there. But he couldn't help it. This was the last time he would be in the same room as her, possibly forever, and he could not help himself but try to burn the image of her face into his memory so he could never be able to forget it.

Glancing down Harry clicked a Pokéball from his belt. He had not understood why he had been left this Pokémon, not sure what Dumbledore was thinking when he could have chosen to leave him Alakazam or Fawkes or Gryffindor's Aegislash, but now he knew.

He placed Chimecho's Pokéball by Ginny's bedside, a place he was certain she would see it as soon as she was awake. Dumbledore had known Chimecho wouldn't help guide Harry on his journey, that had never been her purpose. Chimecho had been left to him to protect the one thing he could not live without, the one thing that if he lost he'd lose all will to fight. Chimecho was there to give Harry the peace of mind that, no matter how far away or how long they may be apart, Ginny would be there, safe, ready for Harry to come back to.

Harry turned, preparing to leave, but as he did so he caught a pair of bright red eyes staring at him from the darkness. Ginny's Ninetales lay curled up at the foot of her bed and was now staring at Harry with a steady, unblinking gaze.

Harry glanced back at Chimecho's Pokéball.

"Make sure she takes it," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "She might not want to but… make sure she takes it." He swallowed, fighting his emotions as they threatened to overwhelm him, before he turned to Ninetales once more. "Look after her for me."

Ninetales held Harry's gaze for a long moment, and nodded.

With a small exhalation of breath Harry closed his eyes and turned away. He made his way to the door, purposefully not looking back lest he find his resolve crumbling, only allowing his gaze to fall on Ginny one final time as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

He joined Ron and Hermione in the kitchen.

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked. Harry nodded. It was, of course, a lie.

"I left Chimecho with her," he told them. "She's been protecting me all these years… only seems right she protects Ginny when I can't."

Ron nodded.

Silence fell between them.

"We should go," Harry said, pulling himself together. "We don't want to risk Mrs Weasley finding us."

"I was wondering if we shouldn't leave a message," Hermione suggested hesitantly. "Just to let them know we're alright."

"Too risky," Harry told her. "We wouldn't want that to fall into the wrong hands." Hermione looked uncertain.

"Dad knows we're leaving," Ron assured her. "It's alright."

Slowly Hermione nodded.

The three of them stood around the kitchen table for a moment longer before, as if responding to some sort of silent cue, they as one stepped towards the door, leaving the Burrow, stopping by Mr Weasley's shed on the way, as they walked off down the track to Ottery St Catchpole.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter. Thanks for reading.

To DelugeLeader 666: For me the battle was more about Harry and Charlie than it was between the two Mega Charizard forms. It was all about how Harry has been able to surpass Charlie, who until this point still viewed Harry based on their first meetings back in 'Secret Chamber'. Personally I like both Mega Charizard forms but in battle I think I'd give the edge to X over Y, mainly because of its added dragon typing.

If you enjoyed this chapter then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	7. The Forgotten Story

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione were silent as they left behind the safety of the Burrow, having no need to speak to each other to know what they were thinking. With the Burrow disappearing into the distance they were leaving behind their last source of comfort and security. They were well and truly on their own.

They reached the bus station in Ottery St Catchpole and boarded the single coach that sat there, the first people to do so. There was only one bus into London every morning and so it waited for a long time to ensure it picked up all its passengers.

As Harry, Ron and Hermione took seats all the way at the back, not wanting to engage with any of the locals, they waited nervously for the bus to finally move out, watching as it steadily began to fill up.

Twenty minutes later they were on their way, their transport closing its doors and setting off on its winding journey through the English countryside. The service stopped every so often, picking up passengers from several other small towns on its way, and the bus truly began to fill.

All the while Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed silent.

They didn't make any movement until the bus had made its way all the way into London. They jumped off, thanking the driver politely, as the service reached its final destination and all those gathered aboard cleared out.

Walking through a city such as London, full as it was with people, muggle and Pokémon trainer alike, was decidedly risky, but unfortunately they really had little choice. Knowing there was an easy chance of bumping into someone that might recognise him Harry donned a muggle baseball cap he bought from a vendor while Ron, aware of how much of a giveaway his flaming red hair could be, covered it up with his hood.

Despite their less than elaborate disguises they managed to make it all the way out from the busier sections of the city without being recognised and soon enough, following the route of the huge London map Hermione had picked up on the way, they found themselves standing at the doorstep of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

It was locked.

"Cover me," Ron murmured and he dug into his pocket for his trusty lock picking materials. Kneeling down by the keyhole and going to work, Harry and Hermione shuffled over, trying to block him from view as they cautiously surveyed the square.

It appeared quiet, they couldn't see anyone, and given past experience they knew that this was normal, but it would only take one person to glance out of their window and call the police on the shifty looking characters standing outside the abandoned building.

"Done," Ron said, straightening up and wiping his hands in satisfaction. "Guess this is it, then." The moment of truth.

Ron pushed at the door, cracking it open, but it seemed to be caught on something, resisting his entrance.

"Newspapers," Ron told them, sticking his head through the crack in the door and glancing at the ground. "Loads of them."

"I suppose that's a good sign," Hermione said anxiously. "If someone had been here they would surely have cleared them away."

"Keep pushing," Harry encouraged. Ron took a step back and then really put his shoulder into it.

The door caved, Ron staggering inside as the resistance vanished, and Harry and Hermione followed him quickly, kicking newspapers aside as they did so, and closed the door behind them.

They stood together in the dark silence of the hallway, each listening carefully for any sign of movement. All was quiet.

"Riolu," Harry murmured, releasing the small jackal like Pokémon with a brief flash of red light. Riolu appeared silently before him. "Can you sense anything?"

Riolu let out a soft breath and closed his eyes. His brow furrowed as he concentrated, his senses spreading throughout the building as his ears rose into the air as though caught in a silent wind.

A few seconds later his ears fell with the softest of thuds and Riolu opened his eyes. He shook his head.

"Looks like we're in the clear," Harry murmured.

"Agreed," said Hermione.

They stood there a moment longer.

"We should see what state this place is in," Harry spoke up, his eyes growing accustomed to the poor light as he was able to make out the gaudy decor of Grimmauld Place. "It might only have been a couple of months but I wouldn't be surprised if some of these rooms were uninhabitable."

"I'll go look at the kitchen," Ron told him. "See what's going on down there." And he stepped forward and in that moment, as if breaking a silent spell, the tension in the room seemed to fade.

As Ron descended down to the kitchen Harry and Hermione headed upstairs.

"Bedrooms seem fine," said Harry, stepping out of the second floor room where Hermione and Ginny often slept.

"Bathrooms seem okay too," said Hermione, rising up the staircase from her perusal of the floor below. "I think we can at the very least stay here, provided the kitchen is of appropriate standard. But that always was the best room of the house."

"We shouldn't have to worry too much about intruders, either," Harry noted. "Clearly no one's been here for months." He glanced at the only remaining room on the second floor. "You want to take the library?"

"I suppose I'll have to," Hermione said with a sigh. Even before they'd left the library had been the one room they'd never been able to adequately clean. "It won't be easy."

"I'll come back down when I'm done," Harry told her, indicating to the floors above. Hermione gave a nod of assent so Harry left her to it. As Hermione stepped into the library Harry rose up the staircase once more, joined by Riolu as he went, and moved on to inspect the rest of the house.

The third floor had two bedrooms and one bathroom, and so was simple enough to check for any serious occurrences of mould or other fungi. After testing that the taps in the bathroom did in fact produce water Harry finished his inspection and rose up to the fourth and last floor of the house.

Up here there were only two rooms. And one of them stopped Harry short.

Sirius's bedroom was everything Harry would have expected a teenage Sirius Black's bedroom to be like. Though the furnishings were typically dark and elegant to match the rest of the house the room was so stuffed with memorabilia that you could quite simply tell that it housed the black sheep of the family.

Gryffindor scarves, more than one, hung from the walls and bedposts, and they were joined by a multitude of posters. Some were bands, both Muggle and Pokémon alike, that Harry could only vaguely recognise, but even more were dedicated to things like motorbikes and cars and, most incredibly, scantily clad women from magazines.

And it struck Harry how, even after returning and staying there for two years, Sirius had never thought to bring them down.

A small laugh left his mouth, tinged with sadness. He missed his godfather.

He was surprised by a small touch on his hand and he jumped, before looking down at the culprit. Riolu gazed up at him.

"I'm alright," Harry assured him, though he still felt a small warmth in his chest at Riolu's concern. Though he'd never be happy about Sirius's death he had at least come to terms with it.

He glanced around.

"Come on," he said, turning to leave Sirius's room behind. "We have one more room and then we'll go down and check in with the others." He closed the door to Sirius's bedroom behind him and turned to the other end of the landing.

Harry had never been in this room before, much like he'd never been in Sirius's, but in this case he hadn't even been aware of its existence. He never came up to this floor.

As he moved to open the door he stopped short as he noted a sign plastered upon it, the words faded with time and obscured in the darkness of the landing.

"Do not enter without the express permission of Regulus Arcturus Black," Harry read. He paused. So this was Regulus's room.

Harry had never known Regulus - according to Sirius he had died during the first war - but he did know a fair bit about him. For one he was Sirius's brother, younger by no more than a year, and for another he had fallen in line with his family's philosophy, rejecting Sirius, and instead turning to service for the Dark Lord, serving faithfully until his end.

As Harry cracked open the door he discovered that Sirius's stories were more than accurate. The room itself spoke of a huge difference between the two brothers. While Sirius's had been chaotic and crammed full of Gryffindor apparel Regulus's held the more traditional green and silver pallet, joined conservatively by a single Slytherin scarf.

But that was not what caught Harry's attention.

A desk stood by the wall, much neater and tidier than Sirius's had been, with the exception of the noticeboard that hung above it upon which was pinned dozens and dozens of newspaper clippings from the Daily Prophet. As Harry drew closer he realised what subject they bore.

'Death Eaters Attack Ferry From Portsmouth!'

'Edgar Bones Missing, Presumed Dead!'

'You-Know-Who Sighted In Birmingham!'

Even back then they'd been too scared to say his name.

Harry felt a sickly feeling building in his stomach. This wasn't right. The clippings, the articles, they were displayed with pride, by a fanatic. Everything Sirius had ever said about his brother seemed to come horribly true before Harry's very eyes.

He turned to leave, not wanting anything more to do with this room now he knew what it contained, but as his gaze moved over the desk his eyes caught on a dusty framed photograph sitting upon it and, curiosity getting the better of him, Harry picked it up, wiping away the dust with his sleeve to see the photo beneath.

It was very old, the colour faded significantly, but even so Harry could make out what it showed. A boy, probably no older than eleven, was standing in what appeared to be the Black family drawing room, straight backed and proud, a Mime Jr sitting on his shoulder.

Regulus Black looked much like his brother, even at age eleven. The same familiar Black characteristics were present; the dark hair, the aristocratic features, Harry imagined Regulus must have been quite handsome once he got older.

But still, despite his stiff posture and neutral expression, Regulus Black looked so very innocent. What had changed, to make this young boy a sycophantic disciple of Lord Voldemort?

Before Harry even realised what he was doing he had placed the framed picture back on the desk and was beginning to pull open the drawers. A stale smell filled the air as he forced them open, the contents inside having not been seen for years, but Harry held his breath and gazed upon them anyway.

He found nothing of note in the first drawer, or the second. It was only when he pulled open the third and final drawer that he found something that caught his interest.

It was an envelope, a plain, brown one which would normally have gone under the radar, had it not been for the current state of the room. Harry picked it up and pried it open, carefully pulling out the contents within.

They were pictures. Many, many pictures and automatically Harry started to flip through them. Regulus was in many of them, the most common figure that seemed to be gradually ageing as Harry went along, often accompanied by his Mime Jr and then later his Mr Mime, along with a few other Pokémon he seemed to have caught over the years. But most of the people, Harry did not recognise.

He stopped as he came to another picture of Regulus, this one an action shot of him in mid battle. Mr Mime was standing before him, looking ready as he faced off against his opponent, who quickly drew Harry's focus.

Further away from the camera, where the picture had faded so much that it was difficult to make the figure out, stood a boy who looked almost exactly like Regulus. Except Harry knew better. Sirius had his Swampert out, his starter Pokémon, and on his face was plastered a familiar, wild looking grin. A happy grin.

Harry frowned.

Somehow, it appeared as though Sirius and Regulus had managed to stay close well into their teens. There was no animosity in the picture, no hatred or anger, just healthy competitiveness between two brothers.

The next picture couldn't have made this any clearer. The two brothers stood, arm in arm, grinning at the camera.

Harry placed the photos down on the desk, his attention drawn back to the drawer, searching for more. He reached into the very back, vaguely aware of something lying just out of sight, and pulled out what appeared to be a journal. It was nondescript, Harry noticed as he blew away the dust, and clearly was meant to be private, secured by a small, if somewhat fragile looking, padlock.

Harry, unable to see the key, improvised. He slammed the padlock into the desk.

It shattered.

Harry turned to the first page.

_Dear Journal,_ it read.

_I've been struggling with some troubling thoughts recently. Uncle Alphard suggested I use this medium to work through them. I hope it is successful._

_My brother, Sirius, has left home. He has not fallen in line with our family tradition. His departure has caused much fuss. Mother is heartbroken. For that alone I feel rage at my brother's selfishness, yet even so I find myself missing his presence. It is surely his fault the state in which he left us, yet perhaps his mere absence is responsible for the dark demeanour that's settled on this household._

_I return to Hogwarts for my sixth year in a week's time. I expect Sirius and I will cross. I do not know how he will react to seeing me. I do not know how I will react to seeing him._

The journal entry ended at that point yet Harry found he could not leave it there. There were too many questions that needed answers, things that had just been hinted in Regulus's musings. Had it simply been Sirius's departure from the House of Black that had turned the brothers against each other?

Harry flicked through the pages, noting that the journal looked close to full, before stopping randomly and reading the passage contained.

By this point Regulus had begun to date his entries. This one came from December 16th.

_Sirius tried to speak with me again_, the entry read. _As I was coming up the stairs from Potions. I denied him, of course, for I have made my position clear. Sirius did not appreciate that but he was talked down. That boy, Potter, the one I once heard him refer to as a brother. He's got him, he should leave me be._

_Yet I cannot help but wonder why Sirius continues to insist. He left me. Why does he so badly seem to want me back?_

Harry skipped forward again, coming to a stop on a page marked June 6th.

_It is the last day of term_, it read. _For me that means a return to Mother and Father, who I do so miss._

_It also means that Sirius is graduating. It is a minor miracle he hasn't been expelled, if the rumours are true, but it does mean this may be the last time I see him. Whatever he chooses to do with his life I am sure it will have little to do with me. We have not spoken since our argument in February._

_I doubt I will hear from him again._

Harry considered backtracking to February and finding the argument that Regulus alluded to, but with no exact date he decided to pass on it. Instead he chose to move forward.

For the next year's worth of entries Sirius's name barely came up. Instead Regulus's notes were more focused on himself, talking about his final year at Hogwarts, studying for his SPAs with his fellow Slytherins, and even detailing his relationship with a Ravenclaw girl in his year with some surprisingly sappy prose.

Harry was just about ready to give up on the journal and return to Hermione when he reached an entry, marked July 30th, that made him stop dead.

_Two years ago today Sirius left home_, the entry began. _I feel the need to mention that, on account of the fact that no one else appears to have noticed. Mother and Father act as though they only ever had one son._

_My feelings of betrayal at Sirius have not abated but now, two years removed, I feel like I can understand. He never fit in here. It only made sense that he would wish to leave._

_I've come to regret spurning his approaches. We may have disagreed but he was still my brother. Now I fear we may never speak again._

_Cousin Bella visited the house last evening. She is in service of the Dark Lord. I have so admired his work and I have expressed this admiration, on many occasions. Apparently Bella has shared it with her lord for she came to me with a proposal of a lifetime._

_I will start at the bottom, as is only natural, and I will continue with my current internship at the ministry. The Dark Lord requires supporters in high places. Over time I can only hope I will have the chance to prove myself, and rise through the ranks like Bella has done. I await my chance with high anticipation._

Well, there it was. Incontrovertible proof that Regulus Black had been a Death Eater. And it was just like what Sirius had said, he'd had no idea what he was signing up for. Reading his journal you could be forgiven for thinking working for Voldemort was akin to a first class apprenticeship programme. Regulus was so naive.

And a year older than Harry was now.

Harry flicked through the rest of the pages and discovered, to his surprise, that Regulus's life as a lowly Death Eater was really quite boring. There were notes of secret meetings and of special tasks but to be honest it seemed like Regulus was no more than a harmless crook. He had never even met Voldemort.

Until he did. November 11th.

_I met the Dark Lord today. I did not expect this._

_During our regular meeting he appeared. He said he had a special mission for us. The oaf Goyle fainted._

_It is my first real task as a Death Eater. I am determined not to fail._

_So far, however, it appears simple. The Dark Lord has merely instructed that we collect a large supply of water type Pokémon, thousands, admittedly, but given how this is far from illegal I struggle to see the real challenge. I have already offered Milotic to the cause. I know he will do me proud._

_However, I am worried. The Dark Lord was not what I expected. I have heard of him referred to as 'More than a man'. I had thought that meant he was better. I did not expect it to mean other._

_There is something inhuman about the Dark Lord and it makes me wonder. What am I serving?_

Sirius had said Regulus had got cold feet. Was this how he died? And there was something about Regulus's task that did not sit right with Harry.

He read on.

November 28th.

_The first stage of our task is complete. It took longer than expected. The Dark Lord did not appear surprised._

_Last night a select group joined the Dark Lord for the second stage of his plan. The Dark Lord and one of his top Lieutenants, Cousin Cissy's husband Lucius, hosted us in a hidden cave by the sea. Once there we released the Pokémon we'd caught into a large lake. I don't know why. That is what the Dark Lord ordered._

_Lucius's Serperior kept any Pokémon from fleeing. We were then dismissed. Who knows what the Dark Lord has planned. Our part is over._

_I do miss Milotic._

The lake in the cave. Harry could remember it clearly, the stillness of the water, the glow of the Splash Plate upon the island. It had haunted his dreams on more than one occasion.

And there had been a Milotic there, Harry remembered. Had that been Regulus's?

He turned the page only to discover that there was only one entry left, and Harry's stomach fell as he realised what that meant.

December 12th

_I returned for Milotic. I was wrong to leave him there. But what I discovered shocked me to my core._

_The passage to the lake had been closed since I was last present. This was not an accident. Had I not had Mr Mime to aid me and my memories intact I would surely not have found Milotic again._

_There is an island in the centre of the lake. I had not noticed before. I would not have noticed now but for the light that emanated from it._

_Milotic returned to carry me to the island. What I found disgusts me._

_During SPA Pokémon Care I had the honour to witness the power of the greatest Pokémon of all time, Arceus. One of his Arceus Plates had settled in a cave on school grounds and I was fortunate enough to see it._

_The Splash Plate lay in the chamber, submerged in a solution I dared not touch. And I could feel it. Its curse. Something had happened to that Plate, something had defiled it, and I knew what. The Dark Lord is no man and now I understand why. I have no choice but to act._

_I will travel the night after next. Mother and Father should not miss me then. I wish I could tell them, but I dare not. They are still loyal to the Dark Lord. They have not seen what I have seen._

_What I will do with the Splash Plate I do not know. One thing, however, is for certain. I cannot leave it in the Dark Lord's grasp._

_With luck I will have good news to share with you when I return._

_Yours,_

_Regulus Arcturus Black_

_Toujours Pur_

Harry turned the page softly with a heavy heart, knowing he wouldn't find anything on the next. It had been Regulus's Milotic in the cave. It had been Regulus's Mr Mime, waiting after eighteen years for someone to finish the job, who had protected Harry and who had been trampled beneath the horde.

It had been Regulus Black, a virtual nobody, who had first discovered the secret of the Splash Plate.

And he paid the price.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter. A special thanks to the guest reviewer all the way back in 'Dusknoir of Azkaban' for suggesting Kreachure could be a Mr Mime. At the time I didn't really have anything planned for Regulus and it was that comment that spurred me into drawing up the idea behind this chapter. I'm not sure if you are still reading but if you are, thank you.

As always if you liked the chapter please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	8. Sweet Lullaby

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Harry closed the journal softly and his gaze fell back on the framed photograph on the desk. The kid staring back at him, not quite smiling but certainly looking pleased, would have had no idea what his life would come to.

He turned away, pulling himself from his despairing thoughts, only to find Riolu standing next to him, gazing up at the picture on the desk. Even without reading Regulus's journal Riolu seemed to understand what was going on. He turned to Harry with sorrowful eyes.

"Let's go downstairs," Harry told him. "See how Hermione's doing." Riolu gave a small nod and together they left. Harry closed the door behind them, leaving the photo of Regulus and Mime Jr, and the ones he'd found in the envelope, on Regulus's desk.

Harry found Hermione in the library.

"Hey," he said, catching her attention and causing her to look up from where she was sitting, by a table, examining a book lying before her. As Harry moved closer he realised it was Dumbledore's journal, still blank. "How's everything going?"

"Well enough," Hermione answered wearily. "This place seems habitable, apart from this room, of course." She looked around in distaste. "The only way to clean this place out would be to burn it to the ground."

"A bit drastic," Harry commented. Hermione sighed.

"I've just been trying to figure out Dumbledore's journal," she told him, holding it up and grimacing. "No go." Her eyes found the journal in Harry's hand. "What do you have there?"

"It's Regulus's," Harry told her, placing it on the table in front of Hermione and taking the seat opposite. "I found it in his room."

"Regulus? Regulus Black?" Hermione gasped. "Sirius's brother?" Harry nodded.

"It's… eyeopening," he said, gazing down at the journal wearily. "Regulus… he wasn't what we thought."

Hermione frowned. "How so?"

"Well, he was a Death Eater," Harry told her. "He believed in the cause. But then he met Voldemort and realised he was, well, a monster. Non-human. Regulus discovered the Splash Plate in the cave and he went to steal it. Remember the Mr Mime I told you about? Regulus's Pokémon, his starter Pokémon. Presumably the two of them are together now."

A small silence fell between them.

"Wow," Hermione murmured. "Who'd have thought?"

"Not me," said Harry. "Not Sirius, either. Regulus talked about it in the journal. The two of them never spoke after Sirius left, not properly at least." Harry sighed.

"Anyway, I haven't read it in full but maybe there's something useful in there," he said, gesturing tiredly to the journal. "There's nothing to suggest he knew about any of the other Arceus Plates but maybe he noticed more than he thought."

"It's worth looking into," Hermione agreed. "It'll certainly be more helpful than the journal Dumbledore left me." She picked it up in frustration and leafed through the blank pages. "I don't get it. Why would he give me a blank journal? Is it a key? Is it a code? I don't know. I haven't got the foggiest…"

Hermione was brought short all of a sudden as Riolu sprung up onto the table. He stood before a surprise Hermione, reaching out to place a paw on the journal in her hand, and his ears began to rise as his eyes fell closed.

And as he did silvery blue ink began to spread across the page.

"Oh my," Hermione gasped, her hands shaking as the journal she held began to fill up with words. "Oh my." She flipped through the pages, eyes wide as the previously blank sheets became filled with ink. "Harry, look."

Harry moved around the table to look over her shoulder.

"I guess we know why Dumbledore left you this journal," Harry commented.

"And why he left you Riolu," Hermione agreed excitedly. "Just look at this. Theories about Pokémon, possible locations of the Plates, effect they could have on their environment, this must be everything Dumbledore has on the Arceus Plates."

"Good to know we still have him looking out for us," Harry murmured as he watched Hermione pour over their old headmaster's work. "I suppose I'll leave you to it."

Hermione gave a vague noise that she understood him, already deeply invested in Dumbledore's work, and Harry left the library, Riolu remaining behind at Hermione's side. Perhaps he needed to be there. Who knew how the journal worked.

Returning to the second floor landing Harry began to descend the stairs. Reaching the front door he continued the rest of the way down towards the basement kitchen.

As he descended the stairs the sounds of soft clatters reached his ears.

Ron was standing over the sink, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a stack of dishes placed beside him.

"Ron?" Harry questioned. Ron looked at him.

"The Legion left in a hurry," he explained, giving out a grimace. "Left behind their dirty plates. There were some nasty things growing on them." Harry nodded in acceptance, continuing into the room. A small puddle of water splashed beneath his foot.

Ron winced. "I tried to use Blastoise to clean the dishes," he admitted embarrassedly. "Don't tell Hermione."

"I won't," Harry promised, continuing into the room. Ron was just about done with the dishes - in fact he was just draining the sink - so Harry glanced around. "What's the situation down here? What have we got?"

"Not much," Ron admitted. "Some pasta in the cupboard. Quite a lot of wine, whiskey and what-not. Enough food and drink to last us today but not for much more than that."

"I assume there's somewhere nearby where we can top up on supplies," Harry suggested.

"That's what mum did when we stayed here," Ron confirmed. "We've got to be careful of course, don't want to be recognised, but I reckon that shouldn't be too difficult around here."

"The rest of the house seems to be in order," Harry told him. "Looks like Snape has kept his mouth shut about this place."

"But for how long?" Ron wondered. "The House of Black can't be much of a secret to those who are Black by blood. What happens if Narcissa Malfoy, or Bellatrix, come looking?"

"We've got to keep an eye out," Harry agreed. "We can't get comfortable. But on the other hand I think this is the best place for us."

* * *

Both Ron and Hermione agreed with him that Grimmauld Place was the best place for them to stay. But that's not to say they didn't remain on guard. A security detail was worked out over dinner, Pokémon such as Mismagius, Absol, Greninja and Riolu put on shifts to be on the lookout and alert them of any intruder approaching.

That night they went to bed confident that they had done what they could to ensure their safety and, with Greninja taking the overnight watch, they headed off to sleep.

Harry forewent the first floor bedroom where he usually shared with Ron, offering it up to the young couple instead, which they accepted with more than a few blushes and appreciative thanks. Instead Harry climbed up to the second floor, choosing the room that Hermione and Ginny had often shared, settling in and getting himself ready for bed.

Changed and mentally exhausted, Harry rested on the side of one of the beds.

It was Ginny's. He could just tell. Even though the two girls hadn't stayed there for at least a year and a half their presence was still felt in the room. Hermione's bed, for example, was made up to the highest standard, all straight lines and sharp edges, looking as though it had never been slept in, whereas Ginny's, while not exactly messy, gave off the impression that someone actually used it. It felt lived in.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, about ready to lie down and rest, Harry came to a pause. After a moment's thought he reached for his bag instead, reaching inside and pulling out an item that glowed in the darkness of the room. Harry lay the time plant on the bedside table and reached for a Pokéball.

Riolu appeared, looking around in confusion before he noticed the familiar soft blue glow. He hopped up onto Hermione's bed, standing across from Harry looking down at the time plant. Then he looked up.

Harry swallowed.

"Can you help me?" He asked thickly. "You know what I want to see." Riolu nodded. He reached out towards the time plant, his ears rising in an unseen wind, and as he touched it a shimmering blue light spread throughout the room.

He was at the Burrow once more, in Mr and Mrs Weasley's bedroom, and as he took in a breath the sounds of music drifted welcomingly to his ears. But he didn't think about that.

His attention was pulled to the centre of the room.

Harry and Ginny swayed on the spot.

It was an odd sight to see. Harry, dressed as he would any other day, holding the beauty that was Ginny, her hair done up, her dress beautiful and elegant, and looking down on her as though she was the only thing in the room. Because for him she was.

"Is there something in your pocket, Harry, or are you just pleased to see me?"

A stabbing pain jabbed at Harry's chest at the softly spoken quip. Ginny's soft voice, her teasing tone, drew him back to that afternoon as clearly as if it had just happened that very day. As if she had just left the room.

He stared unblinkingly at the scene.

"I'm always pleased to see you, Ginny." Truer words were never spoken, not by Harry at any rate. Reminding himself of the time it had taken for him to realise that, and then the time he had taken worrying about whether she felt the same way, he couldn't help but curse himself for the waste, the time he'd let slip by.

"This brings back memories," Harry's shimmering form said.

"The Yule Ball?"

"I wish I'd danced with you more," he said, the regret clear in his tone. "I suppose you don't really know what you've got until it's gone."

No. That was so much more true than Harry had imagined even then.

"I agree," Ginny told him. "That night was like a dream come true for little girl Ginny. But it has nothing on this."

"Nothing." Nothing. There was a reason he'd asked Riolu to show him this scene. It was the best he had to help remind him of what he needed to fight for.

Yet he knew that it couldn't remain the positive motivator he hoped. He had known back then.

"I wish we could dance like this forever." Ginny's expression was already tinged with sadness, as though she knew where this conversation was going from the moment she opened her mouth.

"You do have to go back eventually," Harry said and the tiniest flicker in Ginny's eyes sent a dagger through Harry's chest. "People will wonder where you've gone."

"Let them." And there was the fire. The passion and the determination that drove Ginny on. The reason she had been able to hold her own in a household full of boys and how she'd recovered after her dreadful year under Voldemort's control. It was the drive that allowed Ginny to say, when the world was turning against her, that she would not submit.

Harry only wished it was that easy. He only wished he could let the world go, forget about Voldemort and the Death Eaters and the Arceus Plates, and instead do what he truly wanted. He imagined a life of hanging around the Burrow with Ginny, having no worries, no battles to fight or places to be, just being with her and having her be with him.

"The world can wait for us to have this moment. It is the least we deserve." Oh, it was what Ginny deserved, and so much more. But it was something Harry could not provide.

"Yeah." His words sounded hollow to his own ears. "I will remember this, always." That was the one promise he could keep.

Others…

"I look forward to more," Ginny told him, the familiar unbreakable spirit rising once more as she challenged him. "There are a lot more dances for us to have, Harry. This will not be the last, of that I swear. Promise me you feel the same."

"I promise," present day Harry whispered, his voice coming out in a desperate gasp as he watched his past self remain silent. With an ice cold settling in his chest Harry knew what he was about to say. "I promise."

"I don't know if I'll make it back to dance again," his past self spoke, and Harry could see the hurt in Ginny's gaze as he spoke, the feeling of betrayal as she fought for their future and he failed to join her.

"I can't promise that and let you down." The understanding appeared just as quick as the hurt, and that only stung Harry more. "But I do promise that if there is any way to win this war I will move heaven and earth just to see you again. You have my word."

It was a lousy promise for Harry to make, nothing like the note of compassion and confidence he should have bestowed on her to give her the confidence not to worry while he was away. Had Harry known that'd be the last time they would speak he'd have made sure to promise everything she asked of him. Instead he had left her cold and alone, and hurting more than Harry had ever dared believe he could cause.

And as past Harry placed his lips on Ginny's forehead present-day Harry slipped slowly under the covers, his eyes fixated on the beautiful girl held in the arms of the imperfect boy, and as the music from the wedding washed over him he closed his eyes.

Breathing in the scent of Ginny's hair from the pillow, whether it be real or just his imagination, and with the gut wrenching pain in his heart and the promise he had made, Harry's breathing steadied and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter, a short one I admit. As always leave a Review if you enjoyed and follow me on Twitter for more updates.

Until next time.


	9. Unexpected Visitors

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Life at Grimmauld Place fell into a routine. Now that it was possible to access the contents of Dumbledore's journal Hermione spent her time pouring over his work, making notes as she quickly worked through what Dumbledore had left them.

Harry and Ron left her to it, often getting updates of her progress and what she'd discovered over dinner, but otherwise keeping out of the way as they knew the more they were involved the more they would just be slowing Hermione down.

Instead the two of them set about providing sustenance for the trio, both in terms of the food and drink they required to live but also in the way they planned to move forward. They couldn't stay at Grimmauld Place forever and so they set out a plan to work through all Dumbledore had left them to narrow down the possible locations of the Arceus Plates before they went out into the field.

To that end they had brought back dozens of maps of various portions of the British Isles for Hermione to work with. Some were wide ranging, even showing the entirety of the United Kingdom, while others were more focused on regions and specific countries - a map for Scotland, another for Wales - but all of them were gleefully accepted by Hermione as she went about her task with fervour.

She was working at that very moment, maps spread out across the drawing room, lying on the table Harry and Ron had brought down from the library. Harry and Ron were there too, resting after another venture out to buy groceries.

Everything was quiet, but for the scratch of Hermione's pen.

The front door opened. Hermione's pen came to a halt. Harry, Ron and Hermione froze, their bodies tense, as they listened carefully.

"Absol," Hermione hissed, gazing down at where the dark type stood. "Why didn't you warn us?" Absol, on guard duty, looked unconcerned.

Harry and Ron shared a look.

The sound of slow footsteps began to rise up the stairs.

"Gather up your notes," Harry whispered quietly, springing lightly to his feet and stalking silently towards the drawing room door. Behind him Hermione did as he said, trying to as quietly as possible gather up her papers, while Ron rose to his feet, a hand grasping a Pokéball from his belt.

He remained back, however, as Harry continued to creep towards the door. His Pokémon were not made for stealth.

Reaching the doorway Harry silently released Greninja behind him, raising a finger to his lips for quiet as he appeared, and he listened carefully.

The footsteps reached the top of the stairs and came to a stop. Holding his breath Harry waited for whoever was on the other side to either move closer, or move on. The door to the drawing room was open, if they stepped onto the landing they would be able to see them clearly. Harry tensed.

The floorboards creaked as the person outside shifted their weight.

Harry glanced back at Greninja. Holding up three fingers he dropped them one at a time until, as his final finger fell, Greninja sprung from the room.

"Ah!" A muffled shout was heard from outside as Greninja jumped the intruder, and Harry quickly stepped out behind him.

"Remus?"

Remus Lupin stood pinned against the wall, one of Greninja's blades held tight to his throat. Upon seeing Harry he looked incredibly relieved.

"Harry," he gasped, even as Greninja stepped back, realising that Remus was not a threat. "It's you. Thank goodness."

Ron and Hermione appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry about that," Harry murmured, gesturing to where Remus had been pressed up against the wall. "I hope you're alright."

"I'm fine," Remus assured him, giving him a wan smile. "In fact I am glad. You are clearly taking your security seriously. It puts my mind at ease, if only a bit."

There was a brief pause.

"Why don't we go down to the kitchen," Ron suggested. "I can make you some tea. We can talk down there."

"Good idea," said Hermione. "I'll just clean up inside. I'll meet you there."

* * *

Ten minutes later found Harry, Ron and Remus sitting around the kitchen table, each with a cup of tea in front of them as they made polite conversation, waiting for Hermione to return.

"I'm here," Hermione announced, descending the steps to the kitchen in a rush, Absol following after her. "Sorry for making you wait, Remus."

"Not at all, Hermione, I am in no rush," Remus assured her. "I am merely pleased to be able to find you. You caused quite a stir with your departure from the Burrow, and though I have full faith in your capabilities I am pleased to see you all looking so well."

"How did you know we would be here?" Hermione asked, taking a seat and gratefully accepting the tea Ron pushed in front of her. "We were under the impression that the Legion were avoiding this place like the plague."

"No one's been here in months," Ron added. Remus smiled.

"I assure you I did not know for a fact you would be here," he told them. "I merely took a gamble. I remember a conversation I had with Harry when we first arrived at the Burrow and he asked me why we weren't staying at Grimmauld Place instead. It seemed a somewhat odd question, given I knew Harry was far from stupid, so it stuck with me. I'm assuming the three of you know something that I don't."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look. Remus gave a wry smile.

"I will not pry if you do not want me to," he said. Harry felt relieved.

"How are things going with you?" He asked instead. Leaving behind everyone they cared for had been by far the most difficult part of their journey so far.

"Well, I wish I could say it was better," Remus informed him with a tired sigh. "You still get the news here?" Ron reached along the table and held up the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. "Then you'll no doubt be aware of what has happened."

"Yeah, Snape's been made Headmaster," Ron agreed, giving a slightly disgusted look at the picture of said potions master on the front cover of the paper. "Imagine being at Hogwarts now."

"Quite," Remus agreed. "And he's not alone. Amycus Carrow has been appointed to Snape's old Battling job. On hearing the news Molly nearly insisted Ginny not go to Hogwarts. Of course it was too late, she was already on the train."

Harry felt his chest tighten.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Harry mentioned Carrow," said Ron. "Nasty piece of work from the sounds of it."

"You know Carrow?" Remus questioned curiously. Harry simply nodded.

"I've seen him," he said noncommittally. "I'd rather not see him again." Remus seemed to agree.

"Something that his students will no doubt be learning right about now," he said. "But I'm afraid that is secondary as far as news goes, in so much that it is merely a consequence of Voldemort having fully and completely taken over the Ministry."

"Yes, we thought that's what happened," Hermione said quickly. "The Daily Prophet hasn't reported on it but they did announce the promotion of Pius Thicknesse to Minister. Remus, do we know what happened to Scrimgeour?"

"He's dead," Remus said simply. "Kingsley was there to witness." Silence fell upon the room.

Remus sighed.

"It is no wonder you haven't heard," he said softly. "The Ministry are trying to paint Scrimgeour as corrupt, murder would rather have stepped on that explanation. And of course the Daily Prophet has been little more than a mouthpiece for ministry propaganda for years now, they are perfectly happy to go along with it."

"And what about Pius Thicknesse?" Harry asked. "Is he a Death Eater?"

"Not a marked one," Remus informed him. "But that makes him no less Voldemort's puppet. The Ministry is now under his control, and those in tune with what is happening have gone into hiding, including Kingsley, and Dora."

"And you?" Harry pressed.

"I have been in hiding for quite some time," Remus assured him. "One positive of having no steady job is that I am able to dedicate my time fully to the work of the Legion. What is left of it, at least."

"Well, not all your time," Ron said, grinning. "You are married." Remus smiled.

"How is married life treating you, Remus?" Hermione asked. "It's been, what, just over two months?"

"We had our two month anniversary on Friday," Remus told her.

"Two month anniversary," Ron sniggered. Hermione hit him.

"And married life has been treating me very well, thank you for asking," Remus continued, smiling at their antics. "In fact, I've got some rather important news with which to share with you."

Harry, Ron and Hermione waited expectantly.

Remus beamed.

"Dora is pregnant," he announced. "She's having a baby."

"A baby?!" Hermione cried, her voice going shockingly high pitched. "Tonks is having a baby?" Remus nodded.

"Wait, hold up, before we get too excited," Ron said seriously, calming everyone down. "It is your baby, right?"

Remus laughed.

"Yes, it is mine," he chortled. "We are, as they say, pregnant, and I can't tell you how delighted I am."

"You look it," Harry told him. He didn't think he'd ever seen Remus smile like this. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Harry," Remus said softly. He checked his watch.

"I should be going," he announced, rising from his chair. "If I stay too much longer Dora might start to worry where I've gone."

"Tell her congratulations from us," Hermione told him.

"Oh, and could you get a message to my parents?" Ron asked anxiously. "Let them know we're alright."

"Ron," Hermione murmured quietly. Ron glanced at her, then ducked his head. They couldn't contact the Weasleys. Remus would let them continue their work in peace. Mrs Weasley would not.

"I'll pass on your regards to Dora," Remus spoke into the somewhat awkward silence. "And whatever it is you are doing here, good luck."

"Bye, Remus," they called and Remus made his leave, climbing the staircase back to the hallway above and moving towards the front door. The sound of the front door opening and closing signalled his departure.

"Wow," Ron muttered into the silence. "What about that."

"A baby," Hermione squealed in excitement.

Harry grinned.

* * *

Remus's appearance had livened up Grimmauld Place, his good news a huge boost large enough to more than make up for the bad, but it was also an unpleasant reminder of all that they'd left behind.

The next day Harry found himself back in the bedroom of Regulus Black, his thoughts, with Remus's departure, turning to Sirius. It did not pass Harry by just how excited Sirius would be at the news Tonks was pregnant. A baby between his favourite relative and his best friend, one he'd delight in corrupting, was something he would have loved more than anything.

But of course that wasn't to be.

A small knock on the door tore Harry's attention away from Regulus's journal and he looked up.

"Hey," said Ron, standing in the doorway. "Hermione said she thought you'd be up here." Harry nodded.

Ron stepped inside.

"We've gathered up all the essentials in the drawing room," he told him, his tone businesslike. "Your stuff too. It's all there if we need to make a quick getaway." Remus's arrival had shown that their evacuation plans were not up to scratch. Had Remus been a Death Eater they'd have had no choice but to fight or risk losing their supplies, and most significantly Dumbledore's journal and Hermione's research. That simply wasn't acceptable.

"I, eh, I saw the time plant in your room," Ron told him. Harry stiffened. "I… I know you've been using it."

"Yeah?" Harry wondered, avoiding Ron's gaze.

"A few nights ago I got up to go to the bathroom," Ron told him. "And I heard noises. I didn't want to intrude but, just in case something had gone wrong, I went to see what was happening." He paused, biting his lip.

"Harry, you know you'll see her again, right?" He said. "You will. One hundred percent. You'll see her."

Harry didn't respond. He kept his head turned away and, as he avoided Ron's gaze, his eyes fell upon the journal he held open in his hands.

"You should read this," he said roughly, holding out the journal to Ron. "October 12th."

Ron accepted the journal softly, watching Harry with cautious eyes, before he turned to the entry.

"Dear Journal," he read. "Today I took the chance I have been deliberating on since term began. I asked Melissa Wright to a date in Hogsmeade. And she said yes. It is not correct nor proper to display such emotion in public so I shall do so here."

"Arceus bless me, I could not be happier. I am on top of the world, happy as I could possibly be, so much so that I refrained myself from retorting to Garth's friendly mockery. And if it weren't for him I may never have asked. I guess I owe him a debt of gratitude."

"Await an entry for October 28th, much like I now await with anticipation the day of October 28th."

"Yours, Regulus Arcturus Black. Toujours Pur."

Ron finished, looking up at Harry. "I don't get it."

Harry sighed.

"He was seventeen when he wrote that," Harry told him. "The same age as we are now. And though he was an aspiring Death Eater with a messed up family he was able to act like it. A teenager. Whereas us…" He shook his head.

"I don't write in my journal that I've asked out a pretty girl," he said. "I don't even have a journal. I can't afford to write down my thoughts and feelings in case they fall into the wrong hands. My teenage years have been spent fighting and praying that my loved ones are still alive. How did it end up like this?"

With a tired sigh Ron handed back the journal.

"Search me," Ron told him. "And I get it, believe me. I'd love to just, you know, take Hermione out on a date to some fancy restaurant or, you know, some place I can actually afford, rather than be worrying about what to do if we're attacked. But we can't do that now." Harry nodded tiredly.

"So what I'm trying to say," Ron spoke clearly, "is, Voldemort did this to us. Voldemort and his Death Eaters. And the only way to fix this is to beat him. So I'm going to do my best and hopefully, one day, I'll be able to take Hermione out, and you can be with Ginny. That's all I want. That's all I care about."

Some muffled movement sounded from downstairs.

"Guess it's dinner time," Ron muttered, checking his watch with a frown. "Weird, we're usually the ones who have to drag Hermione away from all her work. Wonder what's got her so bothered."

Harry was thinking the same thing and a feeling of foreboding began to creep over him.

"Mismagius," the ghost type Pokémon called, floating through the floor to join them, and Harry knew his instincts were correct. Mismagius was on guard duty.

The loud thundering of someone running up the stairs sounded and Hermione burst into the room, three bags swinging from her shoulders, her hair and eyes wild.

"Death Eaters," she gasped, speaking in a horrified whisper as she closed the door to Regulus's room behind her. She threw Ron and Harry their bags.

The front door opening sounded below.

"Meowstic," Hermione murmured, hurrying to stand alongside Harry and Ron as they quickly pulled their bags over their shoulders. Muffled voices could be heard from down below. "Hide us."

Meowstic stood between them, in amongst the forest of their legs, and as his ears rose up Harry could feel their surroundings start to warp. Suddenly everything around them had gone still.

The voices were approaching slowly.

"Take the top floor, David," a man's cursed mutterings sounded from the landing outside. "Climb four flights of stairs, David. Meanwhile I'll take the basement. Fucking bitch." Some muffled chuckling sounded. "What's so funny?"

"The fact you think she would ever refer to you by your given name," the other voice chortled softly, also male. "You think she even knows what it is?"

"Probably not," the first voice grumbled. "Stuck up bitch. Still, this is her family's house, isn't it. Who knows what we might find. Gargh! What the hell is this?"

"Her blood traitor cousin's bedroom," the second voice answered simply. "Perhaps you might be tipped off by the overabundance of Gryffindor scarves."

"Bah, if I had a cousin like that I'd kill them myself," the first man promised.

"She did," said the second.

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks of horror.

Bellatrix LeStrange was in the building.

"What's this room then?" The first voice asked and the door to Regulus's room swung open. Harry, Ron and Hermione held their breath.

"Well, this is more like it," the man said, stepping into view as he glanced around. He was short and squat, his stature somehow seeming to fit his voice. "Slytherin scarf on the wall, green and silver bedspread. What's that on the noticeboard?"

The other man, tall and thin by comparison, stepped further into the room to examine it.

"Clippings about our lord," he said with interest, running his long fingers across the aged paper. "Old ones, at that. No one has been updating this for quite a while."

"Hang on, there's a name here," the shorter man said, squinting at the door. His companion looked over. "Regulus Artrus Black."

"Arcturus," the second corrected. "Regulus Arcturus Black, it says."

"Whatever," the first man grunted. "Either way he seemed to have a hard on for our lord. You were around back then, weren't you? Ever heard of a Regulus Black?"

The second man shook his head.

"Gentlemen," a smooth voice spoke from behind them and both men turned around. "I trust you are seeing to your task."

Lucius Malfoy stood in the doorway, his long hair slicked back, looking as regal as ever, though his skin did appear a bit pale, his eyes that bit more haunted, evidence of his time in Azkaban.

"No one up here," Death Eater number one grunted. "Nothing to report."

"We were just discussing one Regulus Black," the second Death Eater said calmly. "Have you known of any Death Eater by that name? He appeared enthusiastic. Does Regulus Black ring any bells?" Lucius inclined his head.

"We were acquainted," he said stiffly. "He joined our cause right out of school, not long before the war ended." There was a pause. "He was killed while serving the Dark Lord, by aurors."

The first Death Eater spat derisively on the floor.

"Quite," said Lucius, regarding the Death Eater with a look of distaste. He turned to the other. "It appears the house is empty, at least for now, but there are obvious signs it has been used recently. Rumpled bedspreads, recently cleaned dishes, the remains of a fire in the kitchen. It seems our sources were correct when they reported a sighting of Remus Lupin nearby."

"You sure this is the Legion, Lucius?" The shorter Death Eater asked. "It could just be squatters." Lucius barely gave him a glance.

"Lupin was friends with the blood traitor Sirius Black," he said sharply. "He will likely have known of this house and, given it has been standing empty for many years, it seems a little too much of a coincidence for Lupin to be spotted nearby."

The Death Eater turned a disturbing shade of puce, but he held his tongue.

"No, Lupin has been here," Lucius said. "He may have got wind of our impending arrival but most likely he is just away momentarily. We shall lie in wait for him to return." Lucius paused.

"Bellatrix is gathering everyone in the basement, where we will make base for our ambush," he told them. "I suggest the two of you join her without delay."

"Yes sir," the first Death Eater grumbled. The second nodded.

Together the two Death Eaters filed out of Regulus's room, passing Lucius on the landing as they moved to descend the stairs. Soon enough the sounds of their mutterings could be heard no more.

Lucius looked after the two Death Eaters in silence, his face a mask, before he turned to take a look at the bedroom of Regulus Black. He stepped inside after a moment's hesitation and, like the Death Eaters before, he allowed his gaze to move throughout the room before it fell on the desk, above which stood the noticeboard.

Standing just feet away Harry, Ron and Hermione barely allowed themselves a breath, even though it was almost assured that Meowstic's bubble would hide the sound from the nearby Death Eater. They waited painfully for Lucius to leave.

Lucius did not leave. Instead his gaze moved across the noticeboard, taking in the many newspaper clippings, before it fell down to the desk below. Noticing the photograph he picked it up, holding it to what little light still streamed through the boarded up windows. It was steadily darkening outside.

Lucius placed the frame down again and instead his attention was drawn to the only other item sitting there, the envelope filled with photos. He began to flip through them, passing through the first few when Regulus was still only a little boy, with something akin to sorrow in his eyes. The softest of sighs passed his lips.

Harry clenched Regulus's journal harder in his fist. For some reason he found it important that Lucius did not discover Regulus's betrayal.

For a moment Lucius seemed to become lost in the pictures, much like Harry had been when he'd first come across them, but eventually he seemed to come to. He gently replaced the pictures in the envelope, placing it back down on the desk, and he swept out the room. Stopping in the doorway he took one last glance back at the desk before he closed the door behind him.

The sound of his footsteps faded down the stairs.

Harry, Ron and Hermione took a breath.

"Blimey," Ron muttered. "That was close."

"It's not over yet," Harry warned, warily keeping his voice low. "They're just downstairs."

"Can we wait them out?" Ron wondered. "How long do you reckon they're willing to stay?"

"Longer than we willingly can," Hermione replied. "So long as we stay on this very spot they can't see or hear us but we need to eat, we need to sleep, and honestly now they know people have been using this place we can't stay here."

"Hermione's right," Harry told him. "We've got to leave, and leave soon, before they think to check for more sophisticated methods of hiding."

"Now?" Ron asked.

"Under cover of night," said Hermione. "It's already getting dark. We can disappear out the window and they'll never notice, there's no windows in the basement, and even if there were they're all boarded up."

"Great, but what about the others?" Ron wondered.

"Others?" Repeated Hermione.

"Like Remus," Ron pointed out. "He knows we're here, what if he decides to come back and visit us. He'll be walking right into a trap. We need to give him some type of warning."

"But we don't even know where Remus lives," Hermione protested.

"We don't need to know," said Harry. He had an idea. "We need to signal the whole Legion, not just Remus. We need something big, something so monumental that they can't possibly miss it, something that anyone coming near here will notice and realise that something's wrong." He glanced at them. "Guys, we need to burn this place to the ground."

Hermione whimpered slightly at the thought of wanton destruction. Ron's jaw was set.

"Let's go."

It took them short work to open up the window for their use. Meowstic's psychic abilities pulled out the screws and soon enough Harry, Ron and Hermione were climbing through the window out onto the roof. They stood there, looking out across the rows of London townhouses, before they called upon their Pokémon.

Charizard, Flygon and Pig the Pidgeot hovered in the air, carrying Harry, Hermione and Ron respectively, and as they prepared to leave they all turned to face the building.

"Ready?" Harry asked. Charizard let out a soft rumble in his throat. Upon his head stood Pikachu, ready to add his own explosive power to the mix.

"Ready," said Hermione. Flygon and Mismagius prepared their attacks.

"Here we go," muttered Ron. "Pig, use Hurricane!"

"Mismagius, Ominous Wind! Flygon, Rock Slide!" Cried Hermione.

"Thunder! Blast Burn!" Shouted Harry.

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place erupted in a storm of fire and thunder, large boulders hurling from the sky to crush the building beneath it as high winds pummelled it from all sides. The house could not stand such an assault, was not made to sustain such pressure, and it buckled upon itself, folding and crumpling with a roar of fire and fury.

And as Number Twelve Grimmauld Place burned and disintegrated, the Death Eaters within fighting desperately to escape, Charizard, Pidgeot and Flygon soared silently away through the dark and still night.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	10. Fenrir Greyback

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione flew through the night, leaving the wreckage of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place smouldering in their wake. Only once the sky began to lighten as the morning dawned did they eventually descend down to ground level, far from London.

They landed softly in the middle of a forest. They were alone.

They had escaped from Grimmauld Place mostly in one piece. It appeared that their last minute preparations in case they were found couldn't have come at a better moment as pretty much everything they needed, from their Pokémon and their clothes to their notes and the tent that Mr Weasley had lent them, remained in their possession.

The one thing they hadn't thought to account for was food. Plenty was stocked up in the Grimmauld Place pantry. All of it had been left behind. And as they had also missed dinner the previous night the three of them were absolutely starving, their rumbling stomachs prompting them to make a stop in a nearby village.

The shop attendant looked confused as the three travellers strode in, backpacks slung over their shoulders and looking absolutely exhausted, and more than a little suspicious. Judging by the size of the village they'd come across it must have been unusual for the man to see someone he didn't know.

Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't hang around. They quickly picked up some sandwiches and went to pay, standing in silence as the attendant seemed to move almost painfully slowly, glancing up at them suspiciously as he did so, before they were finally able to leave, retreating back into the forest with their feast.

They ate as they walked, none of them having the willpower to hold off, and soon enough their exhaustion made itself known and they set about making camp. Together they worked their way around the tent, distant memories of the Quidditch World Cup guiding their movements, and as they worked Ron released his Torkoal into the small clearing. The warmth from his burning coals was desperately needed for the cold and sleep deprived teens.

As the tent neared completion, Hermione and Ron knocking the last pegs in to secure it in place, Harry decided he needed to step away. It had been a long night and hardly an unemotional day for him before that and he simply needed a moment to himself. He wandered off.

Harry walked only a short distance, not wanting to risk losing his way through the unfamiliar forest, something that seemed almost likely in his state of exhaustion, but he made sure to move so that he could no longer see or hear Ron and Hermione, and they couldn't see or hear him.

He let out a long sigh.

"Riolu," he said softly and Riolu appeared by his side. He looked around, confused, and Harry tried to imagine how it must have been for the fighting type to suddenly find himself in such a very foreign environment.

Harry didn't feel he had it in him to explain though. Instead he wordlessly held out his hand, the time plant sitting within his palm, and Riolu, despite looking up at him with questioning eyes, accepted.

A moment later Harry and Ginny stood in the space before him, swaying on the spot as their forms shimmered with a mystical blue light. The music drifted to Harry's ears.

He knew this scene by heart now, had not gone a single night without it since arriving at Grimmauld Place, and in some part of Harry he felt the tension that had built over their escape start to fade as he watched it once more.

He watched as the two of them spoke, as much said in their pauses as in their speech. He had analysed this moment so much, knew all the words, all the pauses, by both him and her, and though it would never compare to seeing it with his own eyes he could likely replay the entire scene purely from memory.

"I don't know if I'll make it back to dance again," Harry's past self murmured, Harry in the present finding himself mouthing the words along with him. "I can't promise that and let you down. But I do promise that if there is any way to win this war I will move heaven and earth to see you again. You have my word."

His past self leaned down to kiss Ginny's forehead and Harry sighed. He slowly caressed the time plant in his hand and as he did so his finger slid over the delicate leaves, the scene sucking back into the time plant to leave Harry staring out into the forest once more.

After a few moments he realised he was not alone.

"Hey," Ron's voice called softly from behind him and Harry turned. "Hermione told me to get you. She wants to begin making plans."

Harry nodded silently. While exhausted he understood they could not hang about. The longer they waited the longer the war continued, and the less likely that Harry would be able to keep to his promise.

In silence Harry and Ron journeyed back to the campsite, not needing to say anything to understand each other and not having the energy to make small talk.

Behind them Riolu looked anxious.

"Riolu?" Ron questioned, glancing back at the fighting type as he realised he was lagging behind. "What's the matter?" Riolu was shifting from foot to foot, looking really quite worked up about something, only it seemed even he didn't know what.

Harry glanced towards the campsite. They were quite close now, almost close enough to see through the trees. It was oddly quiet.

Too quiet.

A muffled cry sounded through the trees and Harry would recognise Hermione's voice anywhere. Immediately he went on high alert, gazing around into the surrounding forest, and what he found made his blood run cold.

They were surrounded. All around them figures were appearing out of the blue, stepping from behind trees, rising from behind fallen logs, jumping from concealed low hanging branches, and while Harry never even considered leaving Hermione behind for a moment he could not help but notice that there was no way out.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A menacing voice spoke and Harry turned sharply.

A man was walking through the trees, his hair dark and his chest broad. He stepped towards them with an almost overwhelming air of confidence, as though he believed himself somehow untouchable, and as he came to a stop, just a few feet from where Harry, Ron and Riolu stood, he let out a grin, displaying a set of unusually pointed teeth.

"Mr Potter," he said in a smirking, falsely polite tone. "An honour." He gave a mock bow.

All around the rest of the ambushers sniggered.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded, knowing the tough spot they were in but not to be so easily intimidated. "What do you want?"

Where was Hermione, he wanted to ask, but for the small hope that she had somehow avoided their attention, though her muffled yell indicated otherwise, he kept quiet.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners," the man crooned. "My name is Fenrir Greyback and this," he raised his arms to gesture to the figures surrounding them, "is my band of merry men. As to what I want, that is you. You are a hot commodity these days." He licked his lips, giving a fiendish grin. "Now why don't you do all of us a favour, and come quietly."

As he said this Greyback's hand dropped to his waist but, rather than grabbing a Pokéball, he instead produced a thick length of rope, which he snapped in his hands menacingly.

"And what makes you think that I will come quietly?" Harry retorted, his exhausted form already tensing up for the new confrontation. Beside him he felt Ron and Riolu do the same.

"Well," Greyback said thoughtfully, raising an exaggerated hand to his chin. "If you don't… well, I guess I'll just have to find someone else to persuade you. Bring her out, boys."

And to Harry's horror Hermione was dragged out from behind the bushes. Two men held her tight between them, one even holding a hand over her mouth. She looked terrified.

"Oh no, we can't have that," Greyback crooned as Hermione was dragged towards him. "Scabier, let the girl speak. How will she convince young Harry of anything with your hand over her mouth?" The man, Scabier, released his hold.

"Run!" Hermione shouted as soon as her mouth was freed. "Get away! Go!" Her voice became muffled once more as Scabier slapped his hand back in place. Greyback laughed.

"What spirit," he chortled. "So feisty, I see why you keep her around. She nearly gave us away before you arrived. What a fine specimen." Greyback reached out and gently trailed a finger down the side of her face, Hermione's horrified eyes following his movements.

Beside Harry he could feel Ron shaking.

"How proud your parents must be," Greyback crooned, still devoting his full attention to Hermione as he leaned in to the terrified girl. "Such beauty. I would quite like to meet your father, princess. Shake his hand for the wonderful gift he has given me." Greyback's finger slipped to her neck.

"You bastard!" Ron shouted, bursting after no longer being able to hold back under Greyback's torture, rushing towards him with an animalistic cry.

Greyback lashed out sharply, faster than Ron could anticipate, and he was knocked violently to the ground. Immediately Ron tried to climb to his feet but two of Greyback's men, each taller and heavier than Ron, piled on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

From above Greyback watched with a vaguely bored look on his face. As Ron looked up at him, still struggling to throw off the larger men's weight, Greyback delivered a sharp kick.

Hermione cried through her gag.

Ron had fallen still. The blow to his head had snapped his neck back, ending his ability to fight as effectively as if he'd been knocked out, and he lay limply as the two men climbed from on top of him and lifted him up to his feet, holding him between them as they carried him to Hermione's side.

Greyback turned to Harry, and grinned.

"That was fun," he commented, smirking broadly, and he took a step closer. Automatically Harry stepped back. Greyback laughed.

"Come now, Harry, let's not be difficult," he crooned. "No one wants a fight." His very tone indicated the contrary.

Harry's mind was working wildly, his gaze darting around the clearing for any source of inspiration. He was surrounded, on all sides, outnumbered to a ridiculous extent and even if he could escape he could never leave Ron and Hermione behind. He did have Riolu, who stepped forward defensively as Greyback stalked closer, but with an almost unnoticed flick of the wrist two Pokéballs fell from Greyback's hands. Two Pokémon, Gliscor and Kabutops, loomed over the diminutive Riolu.

Stepping back another step Harry tripped, his foot catching on a fallen log that he had not noticed, and he fell over it roughly with a thump. Laughter rang out around the group.

Harry scrambled to his feet.

Greyback chuckled. "Careful Harry," he spoke. "We wouldn't want you getting hurt, would we." More laughs filled the clearing.

But Harry had an idea. His eyes moved away from the log he had just tripped over to the man that continued to approach him and he continued to step back, keeping the distance between the two men constant.

Greyback reached the log himself, raising a foot against it and leaning over with a gleeful grin.

"Don't be shy, Harry," he crooned. "The fate of your friends is in your hands. Do you want them to live, or do you want them to die? I promise you it won't be quick. But all that can be avoided if you just lay down your Pokéballs and come with me. What do you say?"

Harry swallowed. With his heart in his mouth Harry looked from Greyback in front of him to the men standing around the edge of the clearing. He looked at Riolu, held under the careful watch of Gliscor and Kabutops, and further to where Ron and Hermione stood captive, their eyes silently begging for him to run. But that was something he'd never do.

He took a breath.

"Eruption."

Confusion crossed Greyback's face. "Erup-" But he never got any further.

A blast of fire burst from the ground beneath him, burning up from the still and silent form of Torkoal, having gone unnoticed in the ambush, lying in wait. The fire rose high in a cylinder of roaring flames and it caught the side of Greyback's face, causing him to fall back to the ground with an unearthly scream.

Greyback's men panicked. They did not know what to do or who to turn to as their leader writhed on the ground, unable to give commands, and as his captor's grip loosened Ron broke free.

"Machamp, go!" He shouted as he pulled his arm loose, tossing the Pokéball from his belt as his four armed beast of pure muscle appeared before him. In just a single strike he had downed one of the captors and another sent the one holding Ron's other arm flying. "Get Hermione!"

Meanwhile Harry tried to step forward to help, even as the men holding Hermione fled at the sight of Machamp approaching, but he was cut off. Greyback's Kabutops approached him, eyes dark with anger.

"Vacuum Wave!" Harry called as Kabutops began to pounce. A blast from Riolu struck it immediately, knocking the fossil Pokémon violently aside and clearing Harry's path. He looked to Ron and Hermione. "Let's go! Grab the bags, leave the tent!"

"Machamp, Ice Punch!" Ron called as they hurried to fulfil Harry's commands, Machamp catching Greyback's Gliscor as he attempted to jump his trainer and downing him in a single blow. Ron grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder, hurrying towards where Harry was waiting. "Torkoal, return!"

Torkoal was sucked back into his Pokéball, his work done, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Riolu and Machamp made a run for it, sprinting off into the trees as the men around them hesitated. They had no idea what would happen, whether their ambushers would even pursue without Greyback to lead them, but if they did they wanted to put as much distance between themselves and their attackers as possible.

"They must of… heard… from the people in the village," Hermione panted as they ran. "That's the only way… they could find us."

"Doesn't matter now," Ron grunted. "We just need to get away… Worry about that later."

A blast flew over their heads, slamming into a tree ahead of them and causing it to shake as they instinctively ducked. Continuing on, still running, Harry looked behind them.

It was hard to see much, the figures unclear through the trees and Harry's vision shaking wildly as he ran, but he got enough information to know that they needed to keep going.

"I see four men, two Pokémon," he gasped, staggering slightly as he turned to face the direction he was travelling. "Skarmory attacked… and they've got Kabutops." The reappearance of Greyback's Kabutops filled Harry with dread. He could not let it catch up.

"Ah!"

Harry's foot caught on something in the forest floor, a root dragging him to the ground, and as he fell he began to tumble, the forest flashing around him as he rolled across the leafy ground with no awareness of anything that was around him.

Coming to a stop Harry looked round disorientatedly, shaking his head slightly to clear his vision. A few feet away lay his bag, having fallen from his shoulders as he fell, and to Harry's despair it had fallen open, his belongings spilling out over the forest floor.

He'd fallen a long way down. He gazed up the hill, spying the figures of Ron and Hermione, accompanied by Machamp and Riolu.

"Go!" He shouted, gesturing them on. They didn't have time to hang around. "Get out of here! I'll catch up!"

Ron and Hermione looked hesitant, sharing a glance, but they did as they were told, continuing on as Machamp followed their lead. Meanwhile Riolu began to climb down the slope.

Harry scrambled around on the ground, stuffing his belongings back into his bag and adding a fair number of leaves in his rush. Rummaging inside he made a quick checklist of everything that was in there. Clothes, Gods on Earth, Regulus's journal… where was the time plant?

"Ri," Riolu cried out, alerting him of his presence as he finally reached him and looking up the hill. One of the men that had been holding Hermione, Scabier, was quickly approaching, with Skarmory flying along with him and Kabutops forging ahead.

Harry pulled his bag closed sharply, hoisting it over his shoulder as he made one last desperate search for the time plant on the forest floor around him.

There! Just a few feet further, the lightness of the item having allowed it to be tossed even further than everything else, and Harry rushed towards it, snatching it from the ground before he turned, put his head down, and sprinted full speed through the forest, Riolu by his side.

Harry ran. He ran as fast as he possibly could, blood pounding in his ears as the forest became a blur around him, the only thing Harry was aware of being his feet as they struck the ground beneath him. He could just imagine his pursuers following behind, a few blasts from Skarmory's beak striking at the foliage around him, and Harry dug in to run even faster than before.

Taking a risky half glance over his shoulder Harry's eyes widened.

"Get down!" He shouted, throwing himself to the ground, and as he did so Riolu joined him, just in time to avoid Kabutops as he went flying overhead, his bladed arms inches from connecting. "Riolu-"

But Harry wasn't quick enough. As Riolu staggered back to his feet, ready to fight, Kabutops rushed towards him, shoving him back harshly and slamming him into a nearby tree, Kabutops's blade held dangerously to Riolu's throat.

"Riolu!" Harry cried, attempting to scramble towards him, but a hard blow struck him on the back, knocking him back down to the ground face first, his grip on the time plant failing as it flew from his hand.

"Drapion, hold him!" Scabier shouted and as Harry recovered from the blow the Pokémon responsible for it bared down upon him. A deadly pincer clamped around the back of his neck, forcing his head back down into the ground and Harry spat leaves from his mouth as he gazed forward, helpless and unable to move.

Scabier wandered into view.

"Heh," he grunted, looking down on Harry before following his gaze to where the time plant lay on the ground. He tilted his head curiously, glancing back at Harry. "You really wanted to protect this, didn't you, Potter," he said. "What does it do?"

Harry kept silent. He would not tell Scabier how to work the time plant, even if he likely never could. The memories it contained were not for him to see.

Scabier looked a little disappointed by his lack of response. He looked back to the time plant.

"Well, whatever it is I'm sure you can do without it," he said and, straightening up, he raised his boot and brought it crashing down on the glowing blue flower.

Harry watched in horror as the time plant crumpled under Scabier's boot, unable to do anything but watch as the mystical device was crushed, shattered into a million pieces before his very eyes.

And inside of Harry something broke.

Pinned against the tree Riolu watched in anger as Scabier stepped back from his work, looking please, turning back to look at the boy at his feet.

"What's the matter, Potter?" Scabier sneered. "Cat got your tongue?" Harry didn't say anything. He didn't respond in anyway whatsoever.

It was down to Riolu now.

Knowing he'd only have one shot to use the element of surprise Riolu struck out, hard. Kabutops was tossed aside, not braced to take Riolu's Vacuum Wave attack, and as his pressure on Riolu's neck disappeared the fighting type charged forward.

Scabier, slow to react, was only just able to turn and watch as Riolu shot towards him, his eyes opening wide as the Pokémon's form began to glow. He grew rapidly as he approached, the process starting and ending in a matter of moments, and by the time Riolu reached them he stood twice as tall, a Lucario, with an attack at the ready.

Lucario swiped out, a bar of glowing energy held between his paws, knocking the Drapion backwards and off his trainer before following up with further attacks. Drapion was not prepared as blow after blow rained down on it from Lucario's Bone Rush attack and the poison type could do nothing to defend itself.

As if coming to its comrades aid Kabutops shot back into the action, blades glinting as it looked to cut Lucario to ribbons, but Lucario countered, his Bone Rush deflecting the attacks with accuracy and precision, forcing Kabutops back to give him just enough space to fire off on Aura Sphere, knocking Kabutops back through the air.

With Lucario distracted Drapion tried to take advantage, claws moving to grasp Lucario's neck, but Lucario dodged, flipping majestically over Drapion's head and, as he flew through the air, a Bone Rush formed in his paws which he pulled around Drapion's neck. Drapion cried in pain as it became trapped in Lucario's grip, thrashing around to free itself, but Lucario was unfazed as he pulled back roughly, lifting Drapion into the air, and slammed it into the ground.

Drapion did not move.

Further away Kabutops was struggling back to its feet, shaking off its latest blow from Lucario, and with Drapion dealt with Lucario raced forward. He sent a strike at Kabutops with Bone Rush, blocked by a bladed arm, and then a second, before Lucario twisted the blades aside before bringing his attack down with a crunch on Kabutops's head.

Kabutops crumpled to the ground.

Lucario turned his attention to Scabier.

"He-hey, e-easy now," Scabier stammered, holding his hands up defensively as Lucario approached. His Skarmory tried to intervene, soaring towards them, but Lucario fired off an Aura Sphere without even looking which sent the steel bird crashing into the ground. "W-we can talk about this."

Lucario stopped before Scabier, sizing him up.

"Please," Scabier begged as he fell pathetically to his knees, tears beginning to form in his eyes as his voice broke. "I beg you."

Lucario looked down on him with no mercy and, with a swift swing of his Bone Rush attack, he smacked him over the head.

Scabier hit the ground with a thump. Everything fell quiet.

Lucario turned to Harry.

He had not moved since fighting had broken out. He remained where he was, sprawled on his front as he stared at the remains of the time plant lying before him, with an unnatural stillness. With worry in his heart Lucario gazed down on his trainer.

"Harry?" Ron's voice called and Lucario turned. Ron and Hermione had found them, looking extremely anxious as they surveyed the mess of a battlefield they found themselves in.

Harry did not respond.

"Harry, mate, are you alright?" Ron pressed, moving forward and kneeling down to place a hand on Harry's shoulder. For a second Harry seemed not to notice, before he came to a little bit, turning his head to Ron's hand before looking up to his face.

He remained quiet, the silence stretching over the clearing.

Hermione stepped forward.

"Harry," she said cautiously, watching as Harry's eyes drifted to her as his only sign that he'd noticed. "Harry, we need to leave. We can't stay here."

"She's right, buddy," Ron murmured. "Why don't we get you up on your feet."

Slowly Harry seemed to respond, as though he was hearing their words on delay, and he softly began to push himself up onto his knees, accepting Ron's support to get back up to his feet. All the while Ron, Hermione and Lucario looked on anxiously.

Harry remained silent as he stood there, and his gaze fell back on the time plant. He closed his eyes.

"Come on, mate," Ron encouraged, using his leverage over Harry's shoulders to try and guide him forward. "Let's get out of here."

Harry did not put up a fight as Ron began to walk him away from where the remains of the time plant lay. He kept his eyes closed as he walked, oblivious to his surroundings, before a presence caught his attention and he lifted his head.

He came to a stop, causing Ron to look at him in worry, but his gaze was focused on nothing but Lucario.

Slowly he bowed his head. "Thank you." His words were barely a murmur but they still sounded clear throughout the clearing, and it was just as clear that the words were hollow. Harry knew Lucario deserved thanks, but he just could not feel grateful. At that precise moment all Harry wished was for nothing more than to be crushed under a boot, just like the time plant before him.

Lucario understood all of that, could feel it in Harry as clearly as if he had spoken his feelings aloud, and with a heavy heart he inclined his head in return.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	11. The Fiery Cavern

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Their encounter with Fenrir Greyback changed the way Harry, Ron and Hermione operated. After travelling a fair distance to try to remove themselves from the scene, where Death Eaters would surely be on the lookout, they eventually made camp when they felt safe and, despite being absolutely starving, they forewent any visit to a town or village for food and instead chose to satisfy themselves with berries they'd picked up along the way. It was hardly filling, but it would have to do.

All the while Harry remained in a state of despairing silence. He was unable to accept what had happened to the time plant. It had meant everything to him, showing him the future he could have if only he could put an end to this war. Now it was gone and so with it went Harry's will to fight. He had lost all hope that that day could come. That had been stamped out by Scabier's boot.

As time passed and they remained undisturbed, moving periodically so as to never stay in the same spot for more than a single night, Ron and Hermione began to feel comfortable enough with their security that they decided to press on with their mission. Going through Hermione's extensive notes they looked over the area they were camped at on the maps and began picking through the possible places Dumbledore had thought may hide an Arceus Plate, all the while doing what they could to get Harry involved with discussions. He merely nodded to their suggestions.

That is how they found themselves beginning their search in earnest. Starting with the places nearby they began travelling around the surrounding area, finding woods steeped in folklore, hills filled with hidden burrows, abandoned buildings said to be haunted and even, in one case, a supposedly enchanted well.

They found nothing. Each and every site they visited, no matter what rumours may circulate around them, proved to be nothing other than completely normal, and it soon became clear why Dumbledore had left so many locations un-searched. If all that was required was a single report of some unnatural happening then nearly every feature across the landmass of Great Britain could be seen as a potential location for an Arceus Plate.

All throughout Harry remained unresponsive, letting Ron and Hermione take the lead as he followed silently behind them, and in the end it was inevitable that Ron and Hermione's patience would run out.

"You going to talk to us?" Ron asked. They were approaching a large hill with an interesting collection of interconnecting caves, Harry again separating himself from the others as he walked just a couple of steps ahead. He didn't respond. "You have to, you know. We're not going anywhere."

Harry refused to turn to him. He did not want to have this discussion.

"There's nothing to talk about," he said quietly. He strode on.

"Bullshit," said Ron and Hermione made a noise of objection at his tone. Harry couldn't see them but he could imagine the silent staring contest they'd be having behind his back as they argued over how best to treat him. He ignored it, pushing onward, and as he stepped around a small grassy mound he found himself standing at the entrance of one of the caves.

Without waiting for the others he stepped inside.

"Harry, wait," Ron called and Harry came to a stop as a firm hand fell on his shoulder. Briefly resisting the gesture Harry allowed Ron to turn him around.

Both Ron and Hermione stood before him in the entrance of the cave, anxious expressions on each of their faces, and a small feeling of guilt rose in Harry's chest.

Nervously, glancing briefly at Hermione, Ron spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to have a go at you," he told him sincerely. "But we do need to talk. This isn't like you, we need to snap you out of this state. You can't go on like this."

Harry kept his mouth shut. Frustrated, Ron turned to Hermione. She stepped forward.

"Harry, I understand why you are feeling like this," she told him earnestly. "We both do. We get it."

"Do you?" Harry asked. A pained expression crossed Hermione's face.

"Of course we do," she told him. "Harry, don't think we don't understand what that time plant meant to you. We do. It was… hope, it was a dream for you to aspire to, to help forget all the hardships we have to face. Now it's gone and…" she trailed away, looking at him sadly.

"We're not going to say you can't feel sad about it," Ron spoke up as Hermione fell into silence. "Of course you're sad, you should be. But we need to move past it. Just because the time plant is destroyed doesn't mean that memory is. It's in your head and that's not the only thing you have to remind you of why you're doing this." He looked between himself and Hermione.

"I've got you," Harry intoned quietly, saying what Ron had left unsaid.

"Yeah, you do," Ron told him firmly. "If you need to imagine what it can be like when this is all over just imagine what it'll be like with the three of us once it's done. Imagine how great it'll be for us to just sit and talk and relax with all this left in the past."

"We're not Ginny," Hermione said softly. "But we're here. And we're going to fight every day to win this. But if we are going to manage that then we need you to be fighting too."

Harry remained silent, looking between his two friends as they waited for a response. All the despair he held seemed to be bubbling up within him, uneasy as something else began to make itself known.

He turned, taking a shaky breath as he fought to maintain control. He bowed his head and closed his eyes against the well of emotion that threatened to burst loose. He couldn't do this, not now. He needed a bit more time.

Focusing on his breathing Harry started to feel himself calm once more.

He opened his eyes, letting out a soft breath as his body seemed to lighten as the emotion faded back into the background. His muscles began to relax, more than they had in quite some time, and his head felt that little bit clearer, even if the dark shadow still loomed in the back of his mind.

Taking a deep breath he prepared to turn back to his friends.

A soft glimmering light caught Harry's eye and he froze, his body tensing up again as his pulse began to race once more. He looked down into the cave, through one of the connecting tunnels, and he realised that the light he saw was not his imagination. It was real.

"Harry?" Hermione questioned in alarm as Harry set off, striding swiftly towards the tunnel. Harry point blank ignored her, his focus on just the one thing that mattered, and as he reached the origin of the light he knelt down and, with slightly shaking fingers, he picked up the time plant.

"Blimey," Ron murmured as he hurried over to stand behind him. Harry looked up.

"I suppose this must be a naturally occurring time plant," Hermione theorised, her expression pained.

"Yeah, but what are the chances," said Ron. Hermione winced.

Harry shuffled in place. He knew Hermione was worried about him, about his reaction to seeing a time plant again, but on the contrary Harry felt his brain beginning to work for the first time in weeks. He reached to his belt, pulling out a Pokéball and opening it up.

Lucario appeared before him, looking down on where Harry crouched by the time plant. Their eyes met and Lucario held Harry's gaze. Silent communication passed between them.

Harry let out a sigh.

"Yeah," he murmured defeatedly under Lucario's questioning look. "You're right. But that's a matter for another time." Lucario inclined his head shortly, seeming to accept that response, before he turned to the time plant.

"Do you think you can do it?" Harry asked, knowing that Lucario understood what he was asking about.

Lucario gave a firm nod.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up. Both Ron and Hermione were looking on, confused.

"Time plants capture everything that goes on around them," Harry told them. "So long as it's been around long enough this time plant should be able to tell us if Voldemort ever passed through this spot. Maybe he didn't, or maybe the time plant hasn't always been here, but if we can find him on the plant then we can know for certain if he visited."

As Harry finished speaking he turned back to Lucario, whose attention was focused on the time plant. He focused his concentration, seeming to find it easier now than he had before, and as the aura energy built up around him and his ears floated in an imaginary wind he reached out and rested a paw on the shimmering plant.

Blue light pulsed throughout the tunnel and the adjoining cave, expanding to cover every inch of it perfectly, and Harry, Ron and Hermione watched with held breaths.

Lord Voldemort walked through the tunnel, his stride purposeful but unhurried, looking for all the world like he was completely and utterly calm. He walked past them and disappeared down the tunnel.

The vision faded, having lasted a minute at the very most, and immediately Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to each other.

"There's more time plants," Harry said, indicating down the tunnel to where another one glowed further along. "I think they grow here. We can track his progress." Harry paused. "I think there's an Arceus Plate here."

Harry's words had a profound effect on his friends. At once they seemed to grow more excited and more concerned in equal measure, and Harry understood. This was huge, one massive step along their journey, but it would be very dangerous.

He took a breath and pressed on.

Their journey through the tunnels was slow going. Rather than being set out in some form of linear or regular grid pattern the tunnels between the caves crossed and interconnected seemingly at random and often as they tried to follow Voldemort's progress they found themselves making a wrong turn.

Only by checking the time plants whenever they came across them could they be sure they were heading in the right direction and as they followed Voldemort's lead and walked deeper into the tunnels they found more and more time plants they had to check.

Eventually they came to a stop as the memory of Voldemort did the same.

He was standing facing off against a rough section of the stone cave wall, tilting his head to one side as he considered it. Almost unnoticed a Pokéball fell from his hand, the creature from within appearing silently by his side.

"Malamar," Voldemort said softly, his voice casual as he contemplated the stone wall. "This is the place, is it not." Malamar gave a soft chirp of agreement.

"Psychic!"

Light began to seep through the rock before him, casting a rough outline around a seemingly random section of the wall, but as the light glowed a loud rumble sounded, stone scraping against stone as the section surrounded began to pull itself free, coming away from the rest of the wall and floating serenely to the side to reveal a dark tunnel beyond.

A smile crossed Voldemort's face.

"Keep the entrance open, Malamar, we shall not be long," Voldemort told his Pokémon before stepping off into the dark tunnel, his Pokémon following behind. "Our friend awaits."

The memory faded, sucked back into the time plant from whence it came, and the gap in the wall was replaced by solid stone once more.

"Well, looks like we found it," Ron muttered, his voice slightly shaky. "Just past this rock."

"Meowstic," Hermione called, releasing her psychic type Pokémon before her. "There's a tunnel behind that wall, we need to shift the rock."

Meowstic turned his head towards the wall Hermione was indicating before he closed his eyes. His ears lifted up, glowing slightly with his power, and the rock began to rumble. A glow started to appear in the rock face, the light winding its way around to find the same cracks as Malamar had before, and as the two ends met the rock began to lift.

A blast of heat blew out at them and Harry, Ron and Hermione flinched away, raising their arms to protect themselves, as Meowstic moved the rock aside and placed it on the ground.

"This is new," Ron said warily, allowing his arms to drop as he adjusted to the newfound heat. "Didn't see this in the time plant."

He didn't just mean the heat. While in the memory the tunnel beyond had been pitch black now it was lit with a warm orange glow.

"Looks like we were right," said Hermione. Harry agreed. There was definitely an Arceus Plate here.

"Lucario, return," said Harry, calling back his fighting and steel type. Though Lucario's stoic behaviour would have you believing otherwise the heat was very uncomfortable for him, and would only get worse once they stepped inside. Harry stepped forward as Hermione likewise recalled Meowstic and together the three of them stepped into the tunnel.

As Harry expected the temperature only rose once they were inside, sweat beginning to build on Harry's forehead almost immediately as he stepped forward. The tunnel itself wasn't the easiest thing in the world either, roughly carved with various points where large boulders encroached upon the path, all while it led upwards at an increasingly steep angle as they continued to walk along it.

Soon enough they were no longer walking but more climbing, the rocks hot beneath their grasp as they eventually started to reach the tunnel's end. It opened up at a plateau at the top and as Harry pulled himself up, taking the lead over Ron and Hermione, his mouth fell open.

Rising to his feet he found himself stood on the edge of an enormous chasm, the bottom some way below him. The walls were steep and rocky, various cracks scattered throughout them that Harry suspected led to small caves and dens and, as Harry allowed his gaze to continue further down the walls, he found himself in disbelief as he noticed what appeared to be pools of molten lava along the bottom of the canyon.

Ron sidled up next to him. "Is that what I think it is?" He wondered.

Harry nodded grimly.

"This isn't a volcano, right?" Ron questioned, looking bewildered, turning back to look at Hermione as she joined them on the plateau. Hermione shook her head.

"There are no active volcanos in Britain," Hermione informed him.

"Thought not," Ron murmured. He let out a breath. "Well, guess we know what sort of Arceus Plate this is."

"Yes, but where is it?" Hermione wondered. The canyon stretched out below them but it also continued onwards, the walls twisting so that the ground quickly disappeared from view.

"I don't know but I reckon it is somewhere down there," said Harry, gazing downwards as his mind fell back on the memory of the Splash Plate sitting on the island in the middle of the lake. "We just need to get there, somehow."

"Fly?" Ron suggested.

"Not if there's another way," Harry told him. "Charizard would be fine but these sorts of conditions would be really uncomfortable for Pokémon like Flygon or Pig."

"Good point," agreed Hermione. "I'm already sweating through my shirt."

"Then take it off then," Ron suggested with a cheeky grin. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We might need Pig and Flygon fresh if things begin to go wrong," Harry continued, ignoring Ron's comment. "But it looks like we might be able to walk down." He pointed to the cavern walls.

"After you," said Ron, and Harry stepped forward.

As it happened walking down to the bottom was not as difficult as Harry had anticipated. While the danger of falling over the edge was constant the path itself was actually generously wide, meaning that it was with little difficulty that Harry, Ron and Hermione were able to keep their balance. Harry had to wonder if there had been a different use for the cavern before Voldemort came across it. A mine, perhaps.

An additional bonus of taking the path was that it seemed to lead quite smoothly to the very end of the cavern, just around the corner from where they'd been standing, to where a stone pedestal stood with a red plate sitting upon it. The Flame Plate.

Reaching the end of the path Harry hopped down the remaining distance, his feet hitting the stone ground with a clatter, and as Ron and Hermione followed after him Harry cautiously approached the pedestal.

It appeared to be unguarded, though Harry didn't believe for an instant that it was. Voldemort had gathered a whole army of Pokémon to protect the Splash Plate, he would not have left the Flame Plate unprotected. And what about Voldemort's so-called friend.

Ron and Hermione approached behind him, falling into place by his side as he stared at the Arceus Plate.

"So, this is it?" Ron murmured. He had seen an Arceus Plate before, of course, so he knew full well how to recognise one, but with the stakes high he turned to Harry for confirmation.

Harry nodded.

They stared at the Flame Plate a moment longer.

"What are we waiting for?" Ron asked curiously. "Is something going to happen or…" Harry took a step forward, turning round so he could face back at Ron and Hermione.

"This is it," he said with a grim tone, his voice hard. "This is the challenge we're up against, the toughest challenge either of you have ever faced. The cave holding the Splash Plate nearly led to the death of both myself and Dumbledore and, but for the sacrifice of Regulus Black and Mr Mime, this war could already be lost. I don't expect the defences here to be any weaker, we are most definitely not alone, and we're going to need everything we've got to get this Plate out of here. You understand?"

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"Okay," said Harry. "Because this is your last chance to back out. Once we take the Flame Plate you won't have that choice." Neither Ron nor Hermione backed down at his words. Harry nodded.

"Then let's go."

A large thud sounded from behind him, accompanied by the sound of cracking rock. Harry turned.

On a ledge behind him, looking down upon the three trainers with a menacing glint in its eyes, stood a Pokémon on all fours that Harry had only ever seen in books. In one book, actually. Its amber eyes glinted with an inner fire from within the metallic casing surrounding its head as magma seemed to drip from its dull red skin.

Suddenly the cavern was alive with movement. From the lava flowing around them Pokémon started to rise, Magmar, Magcargo and Magmortar beginning to surround them, while up in the rocky walls appeared packs of snarling Houndoom, Darmanitan, Heatmor and Pyroar. Volcarona buzzed through the air and from dark cracks in the rock face appeared Camerupt and Torkoal walking into view.

One moment they were alone. The next they were surrounded.

"What are they doing?" Ron wondered, looking around at the Pokémon surrounding them. They'd fallen still. "Why aren't they attacking?"

"They're giving us a chance," Harry told him. "To leave and never come back. They don't want us dead, but if we take the Flame Plate they will not hesitate."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look. They all agreed.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Next time we'll pick up where we've left off with the trio trying to escape from their fiery predicament.

If you did enjoy then please leave a Review and you can follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	12. Heatran

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Harry darted for the Flame Plate.

"Heatran!" The legendary Pokémon bellowed as it unleashed a blast of fire towards where the Flame Plate lay.

"Umbreon, Protect!" Harry shouted, a barrier beaming into existence as Harry grabbed the Plate, wincing at the heat that seared through it. Heatran's attack burned fiercely at Umbreon's shield while behind him Ron and Hermione had jumped into action, Blastoise and Buizel firing out attacks into the waves of Pokémon that bared down upon them.

Even as Harry turned away from the pedestal more fire types pushed forward.

"Charizard! Greninja! Go!" Harry shouted, releasing his two Pokémon into the oncoming swarm. Charizard roared at his appearance, feeling the boost of having the Flame Plate nearby, while Greninja backed him up with Water Shurikens, firing them in with precision and power to hold the attacking Pokémon back.

Yet somehow the attacks didn't quite seem to hit as they should.

"It's the Flame Plate!" Hermione shouted, seeing his concern as before her Buizel was clearly struggling with his attacks as well. "It's weakening the water and making the fire stronger! We've got to use rock and ground attacks! Flygon, go!"

Flygon joined the defence, swirling up a Sandstorm as he appeared and giving Buizel some much needed respite. Ron, meanwhile, had already called up the help of Arcanine and Torkoal to aid Blastoise.

Another attack flew over from Heatran, clanging against Umbreon's shield and causing the dark type to stagger. Charizard roared.

"Wait! Charizard! No!" Harry shouted, his eyes wide, but it was all in vain. Charizard had already set his course and he bore down on Heatran, letting loose a blast of flame.

Heatran remained unmoved. It turned its eyes to Harry.

"Protect!" Harry shouted and Umbreon raised a shield as a blast of fire, more powerful than the ones previously, burned its way towards him. It hit the shield with a crash of roaring flames, burning tendrils licking at the barrier and forcing gaps within it as Umbreon struggled to hold back the attack.

"Greninja, Water Pulse!" Harry cried. Immediately Greninja shot into action, the ball of water flung into the stream of fire halfway between the two Pokémon, and it exploded.

Steam filled the air, momentarily putting a barrier between Harry and Heatran. Then a dark shape emerged through the mist.

Heatran crashed into the ground below, its claws digging viciously into the dirt beneath its feet, and it looked up at Harry, glaring towards him with narrowed eyes.

"We've got to go!" Harry shouted as Heatran let loose another attack, a combination of Umbreon and Greninja fighting to hold it at bay. "We can't stay here and fight!"

Hermione and Ron got the message.

"Pig, let's go!" Ron called, the Pidgeot appearing in a flash of light as Ron hastily pulled himself up onto its back.

"Mismagius, help me out!" Said Hermione, releasing her ghost type as her usual ride, Flygon, continued to help Buizel hold back the attackers. Mismagius's eyes began to glow and together trainer and Pokémon rose into the air.

"Charizard!" Harry shouted but a moment later he spotted Charizard in the air, barreling down towards Heatran at a ferocious pace, his fist cocked back and glowing white.

Charizard's Focus Punch struck Heatran viciously on the dome of the head, driving the Pokémon into the ground as its claws ripped up the rock beneath its feet and it was pushed backwards.

For a moment everything was still.

Then a stream of magma burst into the air around the place the Pokémon were standing. Charizard let out a roar of pain as the storm swirled around him, burning embers scorching his body as he was lifted into the air, powerless to escape the devastating attack.

Harry panicked. If Charizard was hurt he would have no clear means of escape. If Charizard could not be freed then Harry may as well be condemning himself and his Pokémon to spending the rest of their lives trapped in this cavern.

And a horrible feeling welled in his stomach as Harry picked up a Pokéball from his belt. He knew what he had to do. He just wished there was another way.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" The steel and fighting type burst from his Pokéball and immediately sprung into action, not paying any mind to the sheer extent of the danger he found himself in, surrounded by fire types, as he blasted an Aura Sphere in Heatran's direction.

The attack smashed into Heatran, causing the fire type to groan loudly at the hit, and the storm holding Charizard began to fade.

"Charizard! To me!" Harry shouted before Charizard could get any ideas of rejoining the battle. Meanwhile Lucario, not needing any verbal command, went charging forward, a Bone Rush attack forming between his paws as he looked to press his advantage, hammering super effective attack after super effective attack into Heatran as it struggled to regain its composure.

Charizard arrived back to Harry and Harry climbed on, hoping he could do so quickly enough to ward off the inevitable.

He couldn't.

A roar of flame was accompanied by a roar of pain as Lucario was blasted backwards, his body burned and scorched as Heatran was finally able to fire back with an attack no steel type should ever have to take.

"Lucario! Return!" Harry shouted, calling him back and hoping that the damage was not as bad as he feared it to be. "Charizard! Earthquake!"

No one was ready for this attack. Not the fire type Pokémon surrounding them or even their own Pokémon that remained on the ground in their defence. Charizard slammed his fists into the ground with such incredible force that everyone, friend and foe alike, was knocked off balance, or sometimes more, as Harry, Ron and Hermione flew above them.

"Greninja! Umbreon! Return!" Harry called his Pokémon back as Charizard swept into the air.

"Blastoise! Arcanine! Torkoal!" Shouted Ron as Pidgeot did the same.

"Come back, Buizel!" Called Hermione as Mismagius raised her serenely up into the air and Flygon swooped through the sky below her.

They made a break for it. While the Pokémon on the ground were still fighting to regain their balance Charizard, Pidgeot, Mismagius and Flygon blasted through the air, guiding their trainers towards the exit.

But they were not alone.

"Talonflame, use Acrobatics!" Harry shouted, releasing the flying type as a Volcarona buzzed dangerously close to him. "Charizard, Flamethrower!"

"Pig, use Twister!" Shouted Ron, directing his Pokémon's attack towards a ledge in one of the walls where a pride of Pyroar had set up, waiting to strike.

By the other wall Hermione continued to float along, even as a Darmanitan leapt towards her, being tackled midair by Flygon and thrown into the ground below.

With the Pokémon beginning to fall behind them Harry began to feel his hopes rise. A blast of flame nearly ended that immediately, the fire burning dangerously close to where Harry sat on Charizard's back, forcing himself to press tightly into the fire type to evade it.

The blast missed Harry. But it hit Mismagius.

"Ah!" Hermione screamed. She fell through the air, her means of transport brought to a sudden end as Mismagius became engulfed in greedily burning flames and lost all control of their connection.

"Flygon, catch her!" Ron yelled desperately, twisting round from his perch atop Pidgeot to look behind him to where disaster had struck. Flygon swooped towards Hermione, but it was obvious he'd never get there.

Talonflame was faster. He dove after the girl, catching her as his talons took a hold of her shoulders, and he tried to pull her up. But it was no use, Talonflame was not strong enough to support Hermione's weight and even as he tried desperately he was being dragged lower as his talons dug painfully into Hermione's shoulders.

But he'd done enough. Just when it looked like Talonflame's strength was going to give out Flygon swooped in, taking Hermione's weight with ease and allowing an exhausted Talonflame to let go.

"Great job, Talonflame!" Harry shouted down to the Pokémon. "Return!"

Up ahead Hermione had been raised up to normal height once more. Returning the smoking form of Mismagius she wiped at her face, her eyes wet from tears of pain and of terror.

They soared on. Finally out ahead of the other Pokémon and able to swoop round the corner out of Heatran's sight, they were at last able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The fire Pokémon had gathered around the Plate so as long as they could stay ahead of their pursuers they would be able to escape.

But that was easier said than done.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Harry cried as Pikachu took up a position on top of his head. A flock of Talonflame were chasing after them, much faster than the larger, bulkier flying Pokémon making the escape, and Pikachu fired off his attacks into the group indiscriminately, rarely able to hit his target due to Talonflame's evasion but doing just enough to keep them at bay.

Meanwhile dark figures were running along the cavern walls. Houndoom, Pyroar, Darmanitan, even a Flareon, were chasing after the group, trying to catch up before they could make it back to the exit.

It was within reach.

"How are we going to do this?!" Ron shouted from up ahead. "Will we even fit?!"

"We have to try!" Harry shouted back. Ron looked pale, but nodded.

"Here goes," he said and as they reached the plateau where they had started Ron guided Pidgeot into the tunnel.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!" Harry shouted as Hermione and Flygon flew in after Ron, leaving only Harry left.

Charizard rose up over the plateau and for a brief moment Harry could look all the way down to the exit, filled with its uneven walls and tight spaces, before Charizard dived in.

All thoughts of seeing where they were going flew from Harry's mind as the rock walls of the tunnel flashed by him, Harry digging himself into Charizard's back to make himself as small as possible to avoid striking any protruding boulders, holding Pikachu close in his arms.

"Pig, return!" Ron's panicked voice yelled ahead. Harry swallowed.

"Ah, Flygon!" Came Hermione's cry a moment later, a flash of red up ahead signalling Flygon being called back into his Pokéball too. Harry braced himself as he realised what this meant.

The tunnel was too small.

He readied Charizard's Pokéball.

"Ah!" He cried as he suddenly found himself flying through the air, momentarily weightless as he and an equally surprised Pikachu were flung forward through the tunnel. He hit the ground, hard, feeling the rocks scratching against his exposed arms and face, even as he fought to protect his head, and Charizard's Pokéball flew from his grasp.

Coming to a stop he pulled himself up dizzily to find Ron and Hermione lying awkwardly a few feet further down the tunnel. Harry turned to look back the way they had come.

Charizard was standing in the tunnel, his form taking up almost the entire width of it, and he gazed at Harry with a sad expression on his face. And it was to Harry's shock that he realised they hadn't crashed. Charizard had thrown him off.

Behind Charizard Harry could just make out the shapes of Pokémon entering the tunnel above, catching up with the now stationary group in no time at all, and Charizard turned away from him to face the oncoming horde, his claws covered in a metallic sheen.

"No," Harry murmured as he realised just what Charizard was about to do. With a loud grunt Charizard threw his claws into the air and slammed them into the roof of the tunnel, piercing the rock above his head with Metal Claw before, with a great heave, he pulled it down onto the pursuing Pokémon.

And himself.

"No!" Harry shouted, clambering to his feet and staggering forward desperately as heavy rocks began to collapse within the tunnel. Charizard's Pokéball lay only a few feet away but, as he scrambled towards it, his hands burnt, cut and numb, he fumbled with it, struggling as he tried to point it back to his Pokémon.

Charizard was barely visible when Harry turned to face him, the enormous rocks falling starting to obstruct his view, and Harry gasped desperately, "Charizard! Return!"

The beam of red light flew forward, seeking out the Pokémon it was meant for, and stretched towards him.

A rock fell in its path.

"No!" Harry moaned. "Charizard, return! Charizard, return!"

Again and again the beam of red light flew forwards only to be cut out as Harry pleaded, tears running down his cheeks as he desperately jabbed the Pokéball towards Charizard again and again.

"Please."

It was as though his prayers had been answered. As he jabbed the Pokéball forward one final time, his vision swimming with tears and his body barely holding itself up, the beam of red light slipped through the tiniest of gaps between the rocks and struck Charizard's back. It sucked the Pokémon away from the danger and back to the Pokéball, the Pokéball snapping shut decisively as Charizard was properly returned.

The last rock fell into place and the tunnel went still.

Harry cradled Charizard's Pokéball to his chest, feeling numb even as pure relief rushed through him. He leaned back on his heels, his eyes closed as he allowed the tears to flow freely and he thanked whatever there was out there that had blessed him with the good fortune to still have Charizard in his arms.

Ever so slowly he unfurled his hands from the Pokéball and he gently pried it open.

Charizard appeared before him, stooped as the tunnel was too small for his build, and he looked down at Harry with somber eyes.

"Don't do that ever again," Harry choked. "Don't you dare sacrifice yourself for me." He pulled Charizard's head towards his, resting them forehead to forehead.

"We're in this together," Harry murmured. "Until the very end."

* * *

Some time later they made camp. As they gathered all around the campsite was evidence of the brutal battle they'd just fought. Lucario was lying flat on his back, having been given what little treatment Harry could for the burns that had been inflicted by Heatran. Mismagius wasn't far away from him, floating in the air with her eyes closed as she slept off her injuries, not as badly burned, but not as naturally robust as Lucario was.

All around the Pokémon that had battled rested, not making a sound as they had nothing left to give. Charizard, Pikachu, Talonflame, Umbreon, Greninja, Blastoise, Arcanine, Torkoal, Pig, Buizel and Flygon had not taken significant damage, but they had all been roughed up, some more than others, and it would be some time before they were ready for battle once more.

The same could be said for the humans of the group. Harry's body was littered with cuts and bruises from his violent fall from Charizard's back and he was pretty sure he had a concussion, though he had little faith he was treating it correctly. Ron likewise was nursing more than a few burns.

But Hermione was by far the worst off. She sat next to Torkoal's warmth, shirtless and with her hands holding up her bra so that her shoulders could be made bare. Vicious claw marks stood out starkly against Hermione's pale skin, the price she'd had to pay to avoid a violent and potentially fatal fall when Talonflame had caught her. The only positive to take was that it could have been so much worse.

"Is it always like this?"

Harry glanced up. Ron was looking over at him. "What?"

"When you got the Splash Plate with Dumbledore," Ron said quietly. "Was it like this?"

"Sort of," Harry admitted softly, feeling exhaustion sweeping over him. "I wasn't lying when I said it almost killed us."

"I know," said Ron. "I never thought you were lying but…" he let out a breath. "Man, it is so much different when you're experiencing it for yourself." Harry nodded.

"You don't have to keep doing this," Harry told him, turning to Hermione too. It only felt right to give them the chance to back out now when they'd got their first glimpse of what this really entailed. "You don't have to stay with me."

"Of course we do," Hermione said softly. "We can't leave you to do this alone."

"Yeah mate," said Ron. "It took all three of us to escape and still we barely managed. I'm not letting either of you try to go after a Plate without me there to help you."

Harry let out a small smile.

"I know," he said warmly. "I knew the two of you would stick by me, you always do. And I know I need you. I always have." He ducked his head. "And I'm sorry about the way I've been acting in the last month or so. Ever since the time plant…"

"You don't need to explain, Harry, we understand," Hermione told him.

"Yeah, that's what we meant when we said we'd help you, after all," Ron agreed. "I mean, sure, we'll help with the heavy lifting, but doing something like this is tough on the mind. We're here to make it a little easier."

"We're all going to go through some rough times, Harry," Hermione continued. "You don't have to feel ashamed about it."

"Never," Ron agreed. Harry smiled.

"Thanks guys," he murmured. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"The feeling's mutual," said Hermione. She glanced at Ron. "The three of us, we're a team. We are strong and smart and powerful and most importantly when we are together we're so much more."

"And we can do anything," Ron added. "Including beating Voldemort." He gave Harry a significant look. "So long as we're together there is always hope."

"I know," said Harry, accepting the reprimand and assuring himself he would not forget it. "I know."

A companionable silence fell over them.

"So," said Ron. "That Pokémon, right. Never seen something like that." He glanced down at the book in Harry's lap. "Got anything on it in there?"

Harry had pulled out 'Gods on Earth' almost by habit, Heatran's appearance firmly in mind, but he had yet to open it.

"Yeah," he said, shifting so that he could search through the book, flicking through the pages as he spoke on the search for Heatran's chapter. "Heatran, a fire and steel type Pokémon sometimes referred to as Lord of Stark Mountain. I don't know where that is but I don't believe that's where we found it."

"Probably not," Ron agreed. Harry found the correct chapter.

"It has an intense internal body heat, making volcanos its ideal home," he continued. "Its ability is Flash Fire, hence why it only got stronger once Charizard attacked it, and it has a signature move, apparently, called Magma Storm. I think that's what it used on Charizard." Harry sighed.

"All in all it seemed like the perfect Pokémon to protect the Flame Plate," he concluded. "No wonder Voldemort recruited it."

"And no wonder it agreed," said Hermione. "It is clear the effect the Plate has on fire type Pokémon. They love it. Look at Torkoal."

Torkoal, acting as their source of heat in place of an actual campfire, was lying tucked into his shell directly on top of the Flame Plate, and as he lay there the coals in his back seemed to burn even brighter.

Charizard, Arcanine and Talonflame had also drawn close to it, whether consciously or not, and Greninja, Buizel and Blastoise were by contrast keeping their distance.

"It's a useful little thing, isn't it," Ron opined. "Especially with winter coming." The thought of the extra cold weather, with no tent with which to take shelter, made Harry extra glad to have the Plate.

"We will have to keep our guard up, though," he warned. Ron and Hermione looked at him. "Pokémon are drawn to the Plate. We don't want any unnecessary conflicts. We should keep moving as much as possible."

Ron and Hermione agreed. Tomorrow they would continue their search once more, moving over to some other region as it made no sense for Voldemort to hide two Plates so close to each other. For tonight they would simply rest and recover, and quietly prepare themselves for more to come.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter. The first Plate has been retrieved.

If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	13. The Misty Forest

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

As planned they left their campsite the next day. They walked for hours, Ron carrying Hermione's bag as her shoulders continued to heal, before eventually they decided they'd travelled far enough away from the location of the Flame Plate to start searching once more.

As they began looking into possible locations for the Arceus Plates once again they were reminded that perhaps showing caution was for the best. Searching through the first few locations, bumped and bruised as they were from their previous adventure, they were in no position to attempt to retrieve another Plate. Both Lucario and Mismagius were still recovering, both badly injured, and while the fire type Pokémon were raring to go it was noticeable that the water types most definitely weren't.

The Flame Plate was clearly taking its toll.

"What do you reckon we do?" Ron wondered as he and Harry walked side by side through the trees of a forest, Hermione slightly further ahead with her head buried in Dumbledore's journal.

They had not found anything unusual so far, but Hermione seemed to be working on information she had yet to share with Harry and Ron, not that this was unusual. With so many sites to check it was clear that the criteria for Dumbledore taking note of a place was that at some point someone had mentioned something suspicious about it. Harry could already tell, just from walking through it, that people considered this forest to be haunted. It'd be their third haunted forest this week.

"I don't know," Harry told him. He gave a soft sigh, the frustration eating away at him. "We can't have a sixth of our Pokémon in poor shape but I honestly don't know how to help them. The lake water seemed to do them some good but that was only temporary."

Not long ago they'd been camped out near water. Harry was tempted to make that a common theme.

"It would be a little impractical," Ron noted when Harry voiced this thought. "There won't always be water nearby wherever we're searching. To be honest the only thing I can think of is to give the Pokémon some time away from the Plate. But how? We can't split up."

"Nor can we leave the Flame Plate somewhere that isn't a hundred percent secure," Harry agreed. "Even if Death Eaters don't find it some innocent little fire type would probably make off with it instead. Honestly the only place I feel is safe for the Flame Plate is with us."

"Do you reckon we can get the Plate back to Arceus?" Ron wondered. "Stop faffing around here and instead get it cleansed straight away and off our hands."

"We'd have to break into Hogwarts," Harry reminded him. "I know we think Snape is on our side but surely security has been heightened, they'll be expecting us to go back at some point. Plus Hogwarts is a long way away from where we are now."

"True," Ron grimaced. "I guess we'll just have to wait. Our Pokémon can handle it, they're tough. I just wish they didn't have to." He paused. "Hermione?"

Hermione had come to a stop. She was looking down at the journal in her right hand, glancing periodically to the map she held in her left, before she looked up and stared off into the trees.

"Is this it?" Harry wondered, stepping forward and looking around with a vague sense of disappointment at the seemingly completely normal forest.

Another dead end.

"Not quite," said Hermione, chewing her lip. "From what Dumbledore wrote here it seems as though the locals see this forest, or rather part of this forest, as having some sort of mystical properties."

"That's new," Ron commented with interest, stepping past where Hermione had come to a stop, turning as he walked to look up into the branches above. "Usually it's haunted."

"Yes, well, there appears to be a reason the locals prefer to believe in magic rather than ghosts," Hermione told them, consulting the journal carefully. Harry moved closer, looking over her shoulder. "Though they are well aware of the size and scope of this forest - you can see it's bordered by these cliffs over here - it is said that certain parts of the forest cannot be found."

"Cannot be found?" Harry repeated, confused.

"When people travel this forest they somehow find themselves restricted only to the outer reaches, the parts closer to civilisation and away from the cliffs," Hermione told him. "Dumbledore detailed the story of a man who apparently walked into the forest with a gps tracker, wandered around for hours, but found when he returned home that he never ventured too deep into the forest despite that being exactly where he was wanting to go."

"So you think there's something blocking people?" Harry wondered. "Not a physical barrier, that would be too obvious, but maybe some sort of psychic shield. Or perhaps a pocket of space like Meowstic can create, only on a massive scale."

"Perhaps," said Hermione. "Dumbledore was thinking along those lines. He even drew a rough outline of where the so called protected region was. Look." She showed the hand drawn diagram to Harry.

"Now, if you match up what Dumbledore drew with actual maps of the area the zone which we technically shouldn't be able to access should start around here." She looked up as she said this, allowing Harry to take a closer look at the maps, but as she did do she fell uncomfortably quiet.

"Harry."

Harry looked up.

The calm, empty forest had disappeared. Instead a fog had rolled in, so thick that they could see mere feet ahead of them, the calm silence of the forest now oppressively quiet.

"Where did this come from?" Harry murmured, his eyes sweeping over the mist, unable to see anything through its curtain.

Everything was very still.

Hermione's eyes widened sharply and she let out a gasp.

"Ron!" She cried out and she darted forward.

"Hermione, wait!" Harry called in alarm, trying to reach out and grab her as she moved away. But he was caught off guard, Hermione's sleeve slipping out of reach in a moment, and as Hermione disappeared into the mist Harry hurried after her. He pushed forward, desperate to catch up to Hermione before he truly lost track of her, and broke into a run.

But a few seconds later he found himself slowing to a stop. Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

Silence pressed in all around him.

"Hermione," he spoke, then he raised his voice. "Hermione!"

There was nothing. No call in response, no sign of movement, nothing. Everything was still and quiet.

"Ron!"

Harry shivered. The thick fog seemed to wash over him, dampening his clothes and his skin, and as he stood there panic began to settle in. This fog couldn't be real, it just couldn't. It had appeared so suddenly and spread so quickly that there was no way this was an accident.

Harry reached to his belt, a hand resting on Charizard's Pokéball as he felt the reassurance that he was not alone, and he gazed into the mist. They were under attack, that much was for certain, and though whoever it was attacking them was unknown Harry knew he had to be alert.

And most importantly of all he needed to find Ron and Hermione.

He stepped forward, each step cautious as he pushed further into the mist, or maybe he was leaving it. He had absolutely no idea which way he was going, completely disorientated, but it was better this than be a stationary target, a sitting duck. Sticks snapped beneath his boots and he flinched, the sound awfully loud when there was nothing else to hear, and he slowed again, alert as he gazed into his surroundings.

Then a figure began to emerge ahead of him and Harry came to a sudden stop. It was no more than a dark outline, no features distinguishable through the mist, and with a shaky breath Harry addressed it.

"Hello?"

The figure remained silent but even so something told Harry that it had heard him, even if only just. One thing was for certain, it wasn't Ron. Ron was much taller, his frame holding a very familiar posture that Harry had grown to recognise as clearly as his hair or face. It wasn't Hermione either. The figure was just slightly too tall.

Harry tightened his grip on Charizard's Pokéball.

"Show yourself," he commanded, his voice sounding braver than he felt. "I know you're there. Don't hide."

For a moment it seemed as though his words had no effect, everything remaining as still and silent as before.

And then the figure took a step towards him and her features began to come into focus.

Harry's grip on Charizard's Pokéball slackened.

"Ginny?"

Ginny Weasley stood before him, looking just as he remembered her, from the fiery red hair to her freckled cheeks to the jumper that had always been her favourite. Yet there was one thing Harry didn't recognise, something that tore into him as he gazed upon her, and that was her eyes.

The fire and determination was gone. It had vanished as though it had never been. And in its place lay nothing but despair. The usually warm chocolate-brown orbs looked cold and dead.

"Ginny?" Harry gasped, taking a step forward in spite of himself as he took in her appearance. "What happened?"

Ginny's eyes blinked slowly, as if only just able to make out the words as they crawled through the fog, and she raised her gaze to his.

Dread filled Harry's stomach.

"Mum and dad," she whispered, and her voice warbled painfully as tears began to form. "They… the Death Eaters got them. They took them and…" Ginny shook her head, closing her eyes in pain as the first tear began to fall.

"No," Harry whispered, unable to believe it as his heart shattered in his chest. Mr and Mrs Weasley couldn't be dead. Not them. "Ginny…" He took a step forward but Ginny raised a hand to stop him, eyes clenched tightly shut, and Harry fell still.

Harry stood there, unable to think what to do as he watched Ginny regain control of her emotions, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the ghost of stubbornness that usually made up so much of her personality, but as she looked up at Harry she allowed the tears to flow freely still.

"They came looking for you," she murmured, her voice distraught, her expression lost as she gazed upon him. "They recognised dad's van from when he rescued you and they knew you were staying with us. They found our address and…" Ginny's voice failed her.

"Ginny," Harry begged, pleading for her to tell him that it wasn't true, that it was all just some hilarious practical joke, but Ginny shook her head.

"They tortured them," she whispered, tears running freely down her cheeks. "Right in front of the fireplace. They tortured them to find out where you were. And they didn't know, of course, but that didn't stop them, they just moved on to me. They tortured me, right in front of them, used me…" Ginny's voice failed her again. "I am lucky to be alive."

"Ginny," Harry tried to speak but Ginny wouldn't let him.

"No, Harry, they humiliated me," she gasped, her voice angry now through the tears. "They beat and abused me, laughing at how they had Potter's girl, how they had yours… your precious love… And if it hadn't been for Charlie, hadn't been for his sacrifice, I'd still be there. Their plaything."

"Ginny, I'm so sorry," Harry gasped, pleading. "I never meant for any of this to happen, you have to believe me. I only wanted you safe, I only wanted all of you safe. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"But it did," Ginny gasped. "It did happen, despite your protections… we had no chance. We were cursed the moment we took you in."

"Ginny, no," Harry begged.

"Goodbye, Harry," she murmured, her voice teary as she turned away from him, strolling back into the mist.

"No!" Harry cried and as she disappeared he ran after her. "Ginny! Wait! Please!"

But Ginny had gone. She had disappeared into the fog like smoke on the wind, and no matter how much Harry rushed after where he thought she'd been all that met him was more fog, pressing down on him heavily and forcing him to a stop.

"Ginny," he gasped, tears running down his cheeks as he looked desperately into the thick, unmarked fog. "Please. Please come back."

But she would not come back. She had left him, and he would never find her again.

"Harry!" Harry wheeled around.

Hermione had suddenly appeared before him, her eyes swimming with tears herself but looking beyond relieved to see him as she threw herself into his arms. Harry looked around bewildered, unable to do much more as Hermione captured him in a bone crushing hug, his brain struggling to play catchup at her sudden reappearance.

"Hermione, what…?" He gasped but Hermione wasn't listening, too busy sobbing into his shoulders she murmured repeatedly under her breath.

"You're alright," she whispered, rocking backwards and forwards before looking up to face him. "You're alright. I thought…"

Harry had no idea what was going on. But the smallest hopes sprung to mind.

"Have you seen Ginny?" He asked urgently, grabbing hold of Hermione's shoulders and forcing her to look him directly in the eye. "Hermione, have you seen Ginny?" Hermione looked confused.

"Ginny?" She murmured. "But why…?"

"She's here, she's in this forest," Harry told her frantically, turning away to look off into the fog with renewed purpose. "I saw her but she… she ran. Something bad happened, something terrible. The Weasleys… Charlie, her mum and dad, they're dead." He fell silent, unable to continue.

Hermione was looking at him with wide eyes.

"But then she ran off," Harry gasped, his voice returning to him as quickly as it had left. "She ran and because of this damn fog I can't find her. Hermione, you have to help me find her, you have to…"

"Flamethrower!"

A blast of fire sizzled towards them and Harry and Hermione ducked on instinct, the flames burning through the fog above them as another figure arrived on the scene.

It was Ron.

"Where is she?!" He roared, spit flying from his mouth, his face a mask of rage as he looked around with wild, crazed eyes. Arcanine stood by his side, growling menacingly. "Where is that psycho?!"

"Who?" Hermione gasped, taking a step back at Ron's fearsome expression.

"Bellatrix!" Ron spat. "She's here. I saw her. She… she killed my family. She killed them." Harry went pale.

"She can't be here," he gasped, panicked. "Ginny's here. I saw her." Ron's expression turned to shock. "We've got to move. We can't let Bellatrix find her."

"No, wait!" Hermione cried, stopping them short as both boys prepared to run off into the fog, grabbing ahold of their sleeves as she did so. "No, we can't do this. We can't."

"Hermione, that's my sister!" Ron roared.

"It's not real!" Hermione cried, her voice ringing shrilly through the air. "Can't you see, none of this is real."

"Hermione?"

Hermione cut across him.

"Bellatrix isn't here," she told them, grabbing hold of his arm tightly and shaking it as she tried to convince him. "And Ginny isn't here either." She looked between them. "This is a trap, our minds are playing tricks on us. We're being distracted."

"But Ginny…" Harry started but Hermione shook her head.

"She's not here, Harry, she never was," she told him, her voice high as she begged for them to understand. "This is all in your head, Harry. This is your worst fear realised, your mind made this up and everything you're afraid of has been projected before you to trick you into believing it's happened."

Ron looked at her, his expression pained as he tried desperately to understand. "How can you be so sure?" He pressed. "How do you know?"

"Because," Hermione stammered, and tears began forming in her eyes once more. "Because I was told the two of you were dead."

Hermione's words hit Harry like a truck. He ducked his head, raising a hand as if to hold in the pressure that was building inside it as his mind went to war with itself. Was this real? Was this not?

"I was told you were dead and now I can see you're not and that is how I know that everything you've seen is false," Hermione told them desperately, tears dripping from her eyes. "The Weasleys aren't dead, Bellatrix didn't kill them, and Ginny was never here. I promise."

"Hermione," Ron murmured and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her as the girl buried her head in his chest, the tears flowing freely into his shirt as Ron held her close, gently rubbing her back in an effort to calm her.

Slowly but surely Hermione's hiccups began to clear and she pulled her face clear from Ron's chest.

"I should have known something was wrong when I saw Professor McGonagall," she murmured, eliciting a light chuckle from Ron. "There was no logical reason for her being here but when she told me… only once I saw you again did I realise that things weren't adding up."

"But you did," Ron said softly, looking down on her with pride. "You worked it out. Though for the life of me I still don't understand why this happened."

"This fog was designed to separate us," Hermione told him. "Once alone we were targeted, shown our worst fears to try and break us. For you it was that you couldn't protect your family from Bellatrix. For me it was losing the two of you. And for Harry…" she fell quiet as she turned to him, her eyes filled with sorrow. "It was being the reason everyone died."

Harry swallowed painfully. He couldn't deny it, it was too truthful to pretend otherwise, but still he found himself struggling to accept what she'd told him.

"You're sure about this?" He asked, his voice scratchy as he spoke. "You're sure it wasn't real?" Hermione nodded.

"It's November, Harry," she told him. "Ginny will still be at Hogwarts. She's safe."

* * *

**A/N:** And that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed then please leave a Review, it means a lot to hear your feedback, and follow me on Twitter for further updates.

I'm going on holiday soon so this will be my last update for a few weeks. Again, follow my Twitter for updates and I'll see you soon.


	14. Spirits Of The Damned

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter follows on directly from the previous one so if it's been a while since you read it I recommend going back to get yourself up to date.

* * *

Harry let out a breath. He closed his eyes as he felt the tension in his body fade away, leaving nothing but tiredness and a profound sense of relief in its wake.

She was alive. They all were alive. Everything was alright.

Ron glanced around.

"So," he said, his voice beginning to return somewhat to normal but retaining its wary tone. "If these really are visions then something must be causing them. What is it? The fog?"

The fog remained thick around them, just as heavy and all encompassing as it had been since they'd first been separated. It seemed that realising the visions weren't real did not break them entirely.

Hermione was shaking her head.

"It's not the fog that caused this," she told them, her voice becoming very matter of fact. "The fog is just another product of what is doing this to us, it's not real either. The culprit is underneath." And she pulled a Pokéball from her belt.

"Noctowl, use Foresight."

Hermione's starter Pokémon burst into the air with a flash of red light before perching on her shoulder and looking out into the fog. As he did so light seemed to shine out from his eyes like headlights, and as they swept over the clearing the fog began to fade and Harry, Ron and Hermione were shown what was really waiting for them.

Ghosts, dozens of them. They floated all around them, their haunted forms dotted throughout the trees. There were Gastly and Haunter, Shuppet, Phantump, Misdreavus, Duskull and even Sableye, and they were all watching them.

Immediately Harry became alert once more.

"Jesus," Ron muttered, turning on the spot so that he was able to take in all the Pokémon surrounding them. Next to him Arcanine crouched, ready to attack at his command. "These Pokémon have been here the whole time?"

"I suspect so," Hermione said tiredly. "This forest is clearly their home. And it is because of them that everyone trying to enter this particular part of the forest has been turned back. They were here at one point, they just can't remember."

"But what about us?" Harry wondered. "They didn't turn us back around, or try to make us forget. They were torturing us." Ron's fists clenched reflexively.

"Perhaps they realised we were stronger than the people they usually have to deal with," Hermione theorised. "Or perhaps this is just their way. They are not evolved Pokémon, most of them, making people forget must be challenging. Perhaps they needed us weakened first."

That didn't make Harry feel any better. But as Hermione spoke he did notice that all the Pokémon did seem rather weak individually. Even now they had been discovered they were holding back, as though they knew they couldn't defeat them if they attacked head on. They looked almost nervous.

"So, what do you reckon?" Ron murmured. "You think we've found another Plate?"

"Possibly," said Hermione. "There's no way to know for sure without taking a look." But Ron was convinced.

"There has to be a Plate here," he said confidently. "I mean, there just has to be. There must be some reason why all these ghost Pokémon have gathered here, and why they bother keeping other people out. And that fog, how could any normal ghost type Pokémon come up with something like that? No, they need some help. The Ghost Plate is here."

And Harry believed him. He only knew vaguely some of the terrifying powers ghost type Pokémon could have but he knew un-evolved Pokémon like he was seeing here could not possibly be capable of such things. The visions were so convincing, even now Harry could not shake the nagging feeling that Ginny had really been there.

"We'll look around," he said, eyes sweeping across the nervous Pokémon that surrounded them. "So long as we keep an eye out and don't allow them to use their tricks again we should be fine, these Pokémon don't look like they want to attack. And if they do, well… that way we'll know there's a Plate here."

Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement and as one they stepped forward, taking a path through the trees as the ghost Pokémon parted to let them pass.

* * *

Their journey through the forest was quiet, but it wasn't the oppressive quiet that they'd been subjected to earlier. The ghost type Pokémon continued to follow them through the forest, watching anxiously from through the trees but unwilling to engage, Hermione's Noctowl sitting watchful on her shoulder.

Even so Harry, Ron and Hermione remained vigilant. If there was an Arceus Plate here they doubted this was all that was defending it.

Due to their time travelling through the fog Harry, Ron and Hermione had become rather disorientated. With no real way of knowing which way was north and which was south within the steadily darkening forest they instead chose a direction of travel and continued to follow it until they came across something that would give them an idea of where they were, which they did as they came across the cliff face bordering the deepest parts of the forest.

They began to do a methodical sweep of the until now hidden area, walking up and down with the cliff face for guidance as they moved steadily further away, Hermione consulting her map to get a vague idea of where they were travelling.

It was only as light truly began to become an issue, so much so that they started to discuss whether or not to call it a day and return tomorrow, none of them wanting to spend the night surrounded by ghost Pokémon, that their searches finally turned up something of note as they stepped into what was roughly the centre of Dumbledore's restricted area.

And there it was, sitting upon an oddly shaped stone right in the middle of the clearing for all to see. The Spooky Plate. It appeared unguarded and unwatched, the ghost Pokémon that had been following them having mysteriously and worryingly disappeared as they drew close to the site, and it seemed to be almost begging to be taken.

"Noctowl, Foresight," Hermione commanded and Noctowl focused his all seeing gaze around the clearing. Nothing hidden appeared. Everything was as it seemed.

"Guess we really are alone then," Ron concluded, though his anxious face expressed his doubts. "Unless there are a bunch more Pokémon waiting in the trees to jump us." He glanced around as though to check, but it appeared unlikely, and that alone was enough to put Harry on edge.

This just seemed too easy, he thought as he looked around the seemingly empty clearing. After having fought to retrieve the Splash Plate and the Flame Plate the protections surrounding the Spooky Plate just seemed laughable in comparison.

"Perhaps Voldemort thought the ghost Pokémon would be enough," Hermione suggested hesitantly. "He did spend many years as a Gastly."

"But that was only after he'd already hidden the Arceus Plates," Harry pointed out. Even so Hermione's suggestion, for lack of a better one, seemed to be all they had to go on. There was nothing there. No Pokémon, no potion, no trap, just the Spooky Plate sitting atop the random, oddly shaped rock.

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Harry muttered and he took a deep breath. "I'll grab the Plate. The two of you, cover for me. I don't know what will happen but I cannot believe it will be nothing. There must be some form of defence."

"We'll watch your back," Hermione assured him.

"Good luck," said Ron.

Harry turned to the Spooky Plate and took a step forward. Subconsciously holding his breath Harry knelt down next to the stone the Plate was resting on, his eyes darting around into the still, dark and silent forest, before, knowing that he had Ron and Hermione with Arcanine and Noctowl watching behind him, Harry threw caution to the wind and lifted the Spooky Plate into the air.

Nothing happened. Everything was still.

Harry let out a breath. So it seemed that Voldemort had overestimated his defences. It made no sense but, with the Spooky Plate in his grasp and nothing jumping out at him to try and take it off him, it must be true. Harry rose to his feet, turning the Plate over in his hands and marvelling at how cold it was to the touch, and he turned back to Ron and Hermione.

They were standing there waiting for him, ready for action but looking just as confused as Harry felt by the lack of a defence mechanism. They looked at Harry as he approached them and he shrugged.

"Guess Hermione was right," he said, looking around into the trees. "Nothing."

"Are we sure this is right?" Hermione said uncertainly. "Are we sure this is an Arceus Plate? It just seems too easy."

Harry looked down at the Plate in his hand. It was an Arceus Plate alright, he could feel its energy swirling beneath his fingers, and looking carefully he could make out the inky black lines on its purple surface that were visible too on the Flame and Splash Plates. The evidence of Voldemort's corruption.

Harry shivered. Even beneath his thick jacket he felt the hairs on his arms stand on end.

With dread building in the pit of his stomach he turned around.

A wind appeared to be picking up in the centre of the clearing, the temperature plummeting as a dark, gaseous form seemed to rise out of the oddly shaped stone that lay there. Along the cracks in the stone's face light began to shine through, seeping upwards towards the darkening space above it as a purple, malicious entity began to form in midair.

As the being began to grow more opaque the form of a face appeared within it, a malevolent grin looming through the incorporeal form.

"Get down!" Harry shouted and he, Ron and Hermione threw themselves to the ground as a blast of energy, a Dark Pulse attack, soared over their heads and slammed into the trees behind them.

"Harry! What is this?!" Ron shouted as he hurried to the side, forced away from where Harry stood as another blast of energy shot between them. Beside him Arcanine growled back, blasting a Flamethrower towards the incorporeal form.

"Spiritomb!" Harry shouted back, rolling as a Shadow Ball crashed into the ground beside him and looking up at the form. He had seen it in drawings, detailed in 'Gods on Earth', and though he knew it to be terrifying nothing could have prepared him to face it.

"Greninja, Night Slash!" Harry shouted, pulling himself up to his feet as Greninja burst from his Pokéball, instinctively running forward, dark blades formed in his webbed hands. He launched himself forward, slashing through the air, but as contact seemed imminent Spiritomb appeared to fade. Greninja flew right through as though the Pokémon weren't even there, landing roughly and turning as Spiritomb reformed behind him.

"So it's a ghost type, right?!" Ron called over, hunkered down behind the protective barrier of Arcanine and the newly released Blastoise, Hermione by his side with Noctowl floating overhead and Absol taking up the attack. "How do we beat it?!"

"It is a dark type too!" Harry told him, releasing Umbreon to block another dangerous attack fired his way. "We need to use fairy type attacks!"

"Fairy?!" Ron cried, ducking as a Shadow Ball flew narrowly over his head. "Where the hell am I supposed to find fairy attacks?!" None of their Pokémon were fairy types.

"It's the only thing it's weak to!" Harry shouted. "All other types only do neutral damage, at best!"

"Not necessarily!" Hermione cried. "Mismagius, Protect!" The ghost type appeared to block Spiritomb's attack, Hermione briefly disappearing behind the thundering of the Dark Pulse clattering against Mismagius's shield. "Absol, Night Slash!" Absol leapt forward.

"What is it?!" Ron shouted impatiently, having been staring at Hermione, waiting for her to explain. "What do you mean?!"

"I mean that Spiritomb can gain another weakness under specific circumstances!" Hermione told them, even as Absol was pushed back, unable to connect with his attack. "Under Foresight Spiritomb loses its ghost type immunities and when we got here Noctowl used it, which means…!"

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Machamp, go!" Ron shouted, his four armed fighting type Pokémon bursting forward, jumping ahead of the barrier Arcanine and Blastoise formed in a flash of light.

"Go, Lucario!" Cried Harry. "Aura Sphere!" The ball of fighting energy flew immediately from Lucario's grasp, flashing across the distance between the two Pokémon in a blink of an eye. Yet Spiritomb seemed to fade once more.

The Aura Sphere flew straight through its target, forcing Greninja into a panicked dodge as it flew out the other side, travelling onwards until it crashed into a nearby tree.

"Brick Break!" Ron shouted and Machamp charged forward. With the muscular fighting type closing in Spiritomb seemed to disappear once more, Machamp's fist swinging through clean air, before it struck the stone which floated unsupported in the air, sending it crashing into the ground to bounce several feet away.

Spiritomb reappeared, and it looked angry.

"How is it dodging?!" Ron shouted. With Spiritomb's reappearance Machamp had leapt forward again, raining down a series of punches and kicks towards the incorporeal form, each and every one seeming to fail to make contact. "He's not hitting!"

"It's the stone!" Hermione called, beating Harry to it. "Spiritomb is tied to that stone, that's where we should be aiming!"

This revelation came too late for Machamp. As he continued his assault, moving in with a downward swipe, he found himself stopped in his tracks, frozen in motion. A glowing light surrounded his body, slowly lifting him into the air, and with an angry cry he was flung backward, causing Blastoise, Arcanine and Ron to scatter as he went tumbling through their hiding place.

"Attack the stone!" Harry called to his Pokémon as Lucario and Greninja leapt back into battle, Absol and Noctowl firing in attacks themselves as Blastoise and Arcanine quickly recovered to stand before their trainer, Ron hastily returning the unconscious form of Machamp.

The clearing quickly became a decimated battlefield. Attacks flew in every direction, Lucario, Greninja, Arcanine, Blastoise, Absol and Noctowl pouring in attacks on Spiritomb from all sides as Spiritomb blasted out equally powerful attacks indiscriminately into his surroundings. The ground was torn up, dirt and grass flying everywhere in the darkening clearing, and even as Harry, Ron and Hermione buckled into their defensive positions they could only watch as Spiritomb appeared to fire back everything that they could send its way.

"Noctowl, Shadow Ball!" Hermione cried but even halfway towards its target the attack was thwarted, a Dark Pulse picking it up and blasting it back towards the attacker, forcing the flying type to dodge.

"Hydro Pump!" Cried Ron and the blast of water struck Spiritomb's stone, forcing the Pokémon back even as it somehow seemed to resist the extraordinary pressure pushing against it.

"Focus Punch, Lucario!" Said Harry and Lucario charged forward, leaping over Blastoise's attack as it began to peter out, swinging down from above only to be deflected off course by a Shadow Ball, unable to make contact.

"Fire Spin!"

Arcanine's attack rose around Spiritomb's form, causing the rest of the attacking Pokémon to back away as it rose high into the air, the malevolent Pokémon becoming obscured from view. The flames roared, blasting heat throughout the clearing, and for a long moment everything seemed to come to a stop.

Then a cry rent the air and Arcanine's attack exploded, blasting outwards over the clearing as Harry, Ron, Hermione and their Pokémon were knocked off their feet, the clearing falling dark once more even as burning embers caught alight patches of grass around them.

Shaking themselves free of the dirt and grime Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up to find Spiritomb floating menacingly above them.

"It's too strong," Harry murmured, realising that not a single one of their Pokémon was able to match it in terms of pure power. Even as he spoke the Pokémon around them were picking themselves back up to their feet, exhausted, but looking at Spiritomb he realised that the legendary Pokémon was barely fazed by all the hits it had taken. Driven by rage and revenge it would not tire itself out.

"We can't outlast it like this," Harry said, realising as he rose back to his feet just what they had to do. "Spiritomb won't quit until it has truly been defeated." As Harry spoke Spiritomb turned to him and they looked each other straight in the eye. "We have to strike together."

Across the clearing Ron and Hermione pulled themselves to their feet, beginning to realise what Harry was saying, and as Harry stared at Spiritomb a small look of doubt began flitting through its gaze.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Harry commanded, his voice becoming strong as he instructed for his Pokémon to put everything into their attacks. "Greninja, Dark Pulse! Umbreon, Shadow Ball!"

"Noctowl, Air Slash!" Hermione caught on quickly. "Mismagius, Shadow Ball! Absol, Dark Pulse!"

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Ron shouted. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

Eight attacks flew through the air from eight different Pokémon from eight different directions, with Spiritomb floating right in the centre with nowhere to dodge. A shield sprang into being, surrounding the ghostly form, and as one the devastating attacks hammered into it, pushing Spiritomb's strength to the absolute limit.

"Come on, guys! More! More!" Harry encouraged as the shield seemed to hold. Greninja redoubled his efforts, his Dark Pulse pushing harder against Spiritomb's defences, while Lucario and Umbreon fired more and more Aura Spheres and Shadow Balls into the mix.

"Keep it up!" Ron called, Blastoise and Arcanine redoubling their efforts, the fire burning fiercer, the water blasting harder.

"Keep going!" Encouraged Hermione as Noctowl and Mismagius fired down attack after attack and Absol crept closer, his Dark Pulse pressing down on the shield harder and harder with the ever decreasing distance between them.

Slowly, painfully, the Pokémon began to creep closer, pressing down their attacks with constant and ever increasing pressure, knowing that they could not afford to let Spiritomb have a chance of recovery. They pressed on, certain that Spiritomb's defences could not hold, and eventually the shield began to crack. With the attacks burning down on the shield it began to fracture and a moment later it shattered completely, disintegrating into nothingness and leaving Spiritomb helpless as all the attacks being held back flew towards it.

An explosion detonated where the attacks met, washing over the clearing and sending them all staggering backwards, Harry, Ron and Hermione falling back to the ground once more. The weary Pokémon collapsed, spent but not willing to rest their arms quite yet until they were certain of victory, and together they all looked into the centre of the clearing with nervous anticipation.

The stone housing Spiritomb hung in midair where the Pokémon had been moments before, the light around it having faded into nothingness. As the smoke cleared and everyone in the clearing watched with bated breath the stone hung for a moment longer, and then fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Cautiously Harry, Ron and Hermione rose to their feet once more and crept towards it.

"Is it…" Hermione said tentatively, looking as though she were ready to leap away at a moment's notice. "Is it knocked out?"

"Looks like it, doesn't it," murmured Ron, his eyes roving the stone carefully. "Doesn't seem very lively."

Keeping an eye firmly on the stone Harry reached into his bag, pulling from within the very thing he needed, 'Gods on Earth'.

"Spiritomb," he murmured, flicking to the chapter dedicated to it as he constantly glanced back at the stone. "Here it is." Turning his gaze finitely away from the stone Harry began to read.

_Spiritomb is one of few legendary Pokémon whose origins are known, or at least are believed to be known_, said the book. _The story is thusly that Spiritomb is the manifestation of trapped souls seeking vengeance for their imprisonment._

_The specifics, as they are told, are that Spiritomb is formed by precisely one hundred and eight souls trapped in a stone, often referred to as the Odd Keystone, for misdeeds of a certain, unspecified, nature. It is said that, as a result, Spiritomb are violent by nature and are to be avoided at all cost._

"No shit," muttered Ron.

"I suppose that's why Voldemort felt so comfortable leaving the Spooky Plate out in the open like this," Hermione considered. "Though I'm still not sure how this all works. If Spiritomb is supposed to be one hundred and eight trapped souls then how did this one suddenly become free."

Harry turned back to the book.

_Methods of trapping souls vary depending on the customs of those doing the trapping_, he read. _Some require a form of geometric structure to act as a cage, with the geometric properties having a supposed influence over ones soul. As a result change to the geometric structure runs the risk of releasing Spiritomb, making it a rather poor method of containment._

_Alternatively others have managed the same process without the reliance on geometric properties, removing a key weakness to the design. However the prison itself is not so strong and so large amounts of concentrated energy, such as those contained in Pokémon attacks, can lead to the Spiritomb breaking loose._

_The level of energy necessary is unknown. There are no reported incidents of this occurrence._

"A source of energy," Hermione murmured, looking over to where the Spooky Plate rested in Harry's hand. "That's brilliant."

"Guess Voldemort did know what he was doing," Ron muttered reluctantly. "Even if it didn't come off. On that note, what happens with Spiritomb now?"

"Without coming into contact with a powerful energy source it is trapped," Harry told him, gently closing 'Gods on Earth' and placing it back in his bag. He approached the Odd Keystone. "Spiritomb is stuck in there until someone lets it out."

"Like Voldemort," said Ron. "You reckon he could release it without the Spooky Plate?"

Harry wasn't sure. Clearly the Spooky Plate could be used but if all that was needed was a source of power then surely any Arceus Plate would have the same effect. And Voldemort still had plenty available.

"We should take it with us," Harry decided, reaching down to pick up the Odd Keystone. Looking down at it in his hand he'd expected it to be cold to the touch, much like the Spooky Plate had been, but it felt normal, almost as though it wasn't home to one hundred and eight tortured souls.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry looked up. "Spiritomb is very dangerous. I'm not sure having it around with us all the time is safe."

"Spiritomb is only dangerous if we give it power," Harry told her. "So long as we keep it out of contact of the Arceus Plates we should be fine. My biggest concern right now is to keep it out of Voldemort's hands. A creature like that… no way could we let Voldemort use it."

Hermione didn't look happy, and in truth neither was Harry, he would rather be anywhere but standing beside such a potentially dangerous and malevolent Pokémon, but she understood and did not argue. Harry placed the Odd Keystone into his bag along with 'Gods on Earth' and turned to Ron, handing over the Spooky Plate.

"You're in charge of this now," he told him. "And remember, don't let either of the Plates touch the Odd Keystone." Pale faced but determined, Ron nodded.

A rustle caught Harry's attention and he turned. The ghost Pokémon had returned.

"They look so sad, don't they," Hermione murmured, genuine regret in her voice. "It seems so unfair to take the Plate away from them. It's like taking away their home."

"We've got no other choice," Ron reminded her softly. "We've got to weigh up both sides of this and honestly there's no contest. These Pokémon will get by without the Spooky Plate, but we need to get these Plates to Arceus."

Ron was right but Harry understood what Hermione was saying. These Pokémon didn't mean any harm. It wasn't like in the cavern when they were going after the Flame Plate but even then, thinking back, Harry felt sorry for the way the lives of those Pokémon had been damaged by their intervention.

And even though his purpose was true and he was not to be stopped from completing his quest it was with regret that Harry walked past the many desperate faces as he, Ron and Hermione, left their forest behind.

* * *

**A/N:** So I'm back from my holiday and I'll be going straight back to my usual upload schedule.

If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for more updates.

Until next time.


	15. A Mysterious Stranger

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Their journey continued as winter arrived with full force, bringing with it low temperatures and chilling winds, along with a severe lack of daylight, which brought their search down to a grinding halt. With two Arceus Plates in their possession they were eager to push on but they quickly discovered that fighting mother nature was a bad idea, leaving their days with very little travel and even less searching for more Arceus Plates, and making them incredibly grateful for the warmth the Flame Plate gave them on those freezing cold nights.

If only the Spooky Plate could be of such benefit.

Much like the Flame Plate before it the ghost type Arceus Plate was making its presence felt around their camp, but with even harsher negative effects and no real upside. Metagross was naturally uncomfortable with the Plate but that was nothing compared to the outright pain felt by Meowstic, the sensitive psychic type forced to stay in his Pokéball whenever possible to protect him from the malicious ghostly energy.

"It might not be a bad idea to stop in at Hogwarts," Ron noted as he and Harry crouched over a narrow passageway in the ground beneath them. They were deep in a cave, following another one of Dumbledore's leads, but so far they hadn't found anything.

"It's not just Meowstic who's having a problem," Ron continued. "It's all of us. That Plate… it's unsettling."

Harry agreed with that. The sickly feeling of being around the Spooky Plate had not abated at all since they'd retrieved it and it was wearing down on all of them, with it being at least a month since they'd begun travelling around with it.

"As soon as we can get rid of it we will," Harry promised, meaning it sincerely. "But I don't see us sneaking into Hogwarts unnoticed. When we do go back there I think we need to make sure we have all the Arceus Plates, otherwise we might not get a second chance. What if the Death Eaters notice us and word gets back to Voldemort that we're doing this. We'd never find the remaining Arceus Plates then."

"I understand," said Ron with a grimace. "I do. I'm just worried about what state we'll be in if this keeps up. It's manageable now but what if a year passes and we're still out here, with the Plate. I don't know what we'll be like after a year under its influence and quite frankly I don't want to find out."

Harry bit his lip. He hoped it didn't come to that, that they'd be able to retrieve all the Plates and get them back to Arceus soon, but they'd been out here for several months and they had only found two so far. With Dumbledore's journal noting there remained a further four Arceus Plates to discover it wasn't unreasonable to predict they'd be out here for another year.

He turned to the tunnel.

"How are you doing, Hermione?" He called. Hermione's head appeared at the other end, only a few feet away from where they stood. Their search had led them to this hole and the area beyond but unfortunately only Hermione was slight enough to be able to fit.

"All clear down here," she informed them, surprising nobody with the fact that this was yet another dead end. "I'm ready to be pulled up."

Ron tossed some rope down into the hole, the device dropping down to Hermione's feet as she took hold and Harry and Ron began to pull her up. After only a few moments of heavy lifting Hermione's upper body began to rejoin them and Ron quickly let go of the rope, leaving Harry to hold it steady, as he pulled Hermione fully back up onto their level.

"There doesn't appear to be anything of interest down there," Hermione reported, patting herself down from the dust that had settled in her hair and clothes from her journey through the narrow tunnel. She reached over and picked up her bag, a sure sign that she thought they were done here. "There's a sewage line down there, which appears completely unremarkable. That would explain the unusual sounds Dumbledore noted in his journal."

"Are we sure the sewage doesn't lead to anything?" Ron asked. "Maybe the Toxic Plate could be down there."

"If it is then it won't be at this point along the sewer," Hermione told him. "There's really not a lot down there and what is there is blocked off by metal grills at both ends."

"And that's not unusual?" Harry wondered. "If someone put the metal grills in then why was this place a mystery at all?"

"No idea, but Dumbledore had very little to say about this area anyway," Hermione told him. "I think it likely that whoever he spoke to was rather out of touch with the situation here and didn't know about the sewer. It wouldn't be the first time."

She pulled her hair back.

"Anyway, there were no Pokémon down there and no suggestions that there ever have been," Hermione said with a finite tone. "This is a dead end."

It was an altogether expected conclusion and neither Harry nor Ron saw any need to argue.

"Let's get back to camp," said Harry, resigned to yet another day of little progress being made. "We'll plan our next move then get back to it tomorrow." He began to walk towards the cave entrance, Hermione and Ron following behind him.

"I overheard your conversation," Hermione told him, hurrying forward to walk by his side. "About the Spooky Plate."

"What do you suggest?" Harry asked.

"Well, perhaps visiting Hogwarts isn't too dangerous a proposition," she suggested. "With Snape as Headmaster the only person we really need to worry about once we're inside is Amycus Carrow."

"And any additional security Voldemort has set up," Harry reminded her. "Who knows what he's done but I suspect he's prepared for me to try to return, even if he doesn't know why. Hogsmeade is probably filled with Death Eaters."

"I'm just saying it's possible," Hermione told him. "We can go through the Shrieking Shack…"

"…unless Wormtail has spilled the beans to Voldemort," Harry interjected. "If he's regained human form, that is."

"I'm just saying it's an option," Hermione pressed. "If the Spooky Plate really does become too much for us to deal with we can go to Hogwarts."

Harry bit back a response, fighting his impulse to protest again that it was just too dangerous. He didn't want to risk anything, their mission was far too important, and if there was even a chance of them getting caught Harry was only willing to try and break into Hogwarts once.

"I'll think about it," he said eventually. He let out a deep breath. "There's nothing we can do about it now, anyway. Hogwarts is far too far away for us to be visiting anytime soon."

"But we are heading north," Hermione pointed out. "And if it does become an issue and we are in the area…"

Silently Harry nodded. Hermione looked content.

"Good," she said.

They had reached the mouth of the cave.

"Blimey," Ron muttered, raising a hand and pulling his collar up over his face to protect against the cold wind that whistled past them. "This is a mess."

It had been snowing rather heavily when they had found and entered the cave and almost predictably in the time that they'd been inside it had only grown worse. A fully formed blizzard raged before them, pure white snow painting the surroundings a blank canvas on which they could see nothing beyond a few feet ahead of them.

"This isn't ideal," Hermione noted. "Though unsurprising." She shivered. "I really don't want to go out in that."

"I agree," said Ron. "Why don't we just camp out here and wait it out. The storm won't last forever." Hermione nodded in agreement.

Harry turned to look at the cave behind them. It was not ideal for setting up camp. The space was cramped, the walls and floors rough making it a rather uncomfortable place to try and rest, and from experience of the last few months Harry knew just how much of a pain that could be.

He looked back out into the storm.

"We should go," he said, ignoring the disbelieving expressions on his companions' faces. "We have a good campsite not too far from here which will be much better than this place. I would be fine waiting here for fifteen minutes, half an hour, but I don't think this storm will be over for quite some time. Ten minutes in the storm will be worth it once we're back at camp."

"If you say so," Ron muttered, disgruntled, but he didn't protest any further. Instead he wrapped himself up tight, hunching his shoulders in preparation for stepping out into the wild storm.

Harry found himself regretting his decision almost immediately. The fierce wind that blew around them was so much colder, so much more biting than he could have predicted from the shelter of the cave. As he walked alongside Ron and Hermione everything around him was nothing but a blank mist, the storm deafening him to give the scene an eery quality, and Harry fixed his gaze firmly on his feet to force himself to continue forwards. Only thoughts of the comforts of camp kept him moving.

An elbow dug into Harry's ribs and Harry twisted his head to the side, flinching against the sharp wind that caught his face as he looked up at the large figure of Ron walking beside him.

"What?!" He shouted, the wind snatching up his words the moment they life his lips. Ron turned to face the direction they were walking and jerked his head forward.

They weren't far from the mouth of the cave they were due to set up camp, the vague outline of the rock face appearing through the white mist, but that wasn't the only thing waiting for them. A dark, indistinct figure stood in the entrance with its back to them, and as Harry watched it turned around and looked towards them.

"We need to stop it!" Harry told Ron and Hermione with chattering teeth, dread filling him at the thought of who this figure could be, and without any further prompting Hermione stepped forward.

"Noctowl!" Hermione shouted, releasing her flying type Pokémon into the storm. "Hypnosis!"

The figure seemed not to notice Noctowl at first, unable to pick it out against the blizzard, but as it stepped forward and Noctowl loomed towards it the figure began to react.

Too late, though. Noctowl's attack took over and the figure began to sag. It fell to its knees, powerless to defend itself, and collapsed to the ground.

"Bring it inside!" Harry instructed as he stepped forward quickly towards the cave entrance. Hermione quickly returned Noctowl, the flying type not at home is such adverse conditions, and together all three of them hurried inside as Ron's Machamp picked the figure up in his many arms and carried it into the cave behind them.

"God, it's good to be inside," Ron gasped, shaking down his jacket as snow scattered down around his feet. He reached into his bag, dusting the snow off the flap as he did so, and pulled out the Flame Plate, placing it down in the middle of the clearing as Machamp carried the mysterious figure over to a secluded corner. "Torkoal, come out."

The fire type Torkoal appeared in a flash of red light, standing in the centre of the cave, and as soon as he spotted the Flame Plate he ambled over, climbing atop it and, with a look of genuine contentment on his face, withdraw his head and legs into his shell.

The embers on his back glowed brightly and the cave began to warm.

Harry dropped his bag down out of the way, pulling off his belt too as he divested his layers and sat before Torkoal's welcome warmth as Ron did the same. Meanwhile Hermione walked over to the figure, divesting her layers as she went, and knelt down next to it.

"Anyone we know?" Ron asked, glancing over as he warmed his hands by Torkoal's side, Harry sitting next to him. Hermione didn't answer.

"Hermione?" Harry asked cautiously. Hermione turned to him, her face white.

"We've got a problem," she said, her voice shaking, and immediately Harry and Ron stood up, alert. Hermione motioned towards the figure and Harry and Ron slowly moved closer, coming up alongside Hermione as she pulled back the figure's hood.

And there, lying before them, was none other than Sirius Black.

* * *

The cave was silent as Harry, Ron and Hermione watched the slumbering form of Sirius from across the cave. They had barely spoken since coming to the realisation of who their intruder was, sitting around Torkoal as the cave finally reached a state of warmth throughout, with Sirius's belt lying before them, five Pokéballs attached.

Ron shifted.

"So," he muttered, breaking the silence as he glanced furtively between Harry and Hermione. "What now?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Hermione, blinking over at him.

"I mean, what do we do with Sirius?" Ron wondered. "I mean, is it Sirius? It certainly looks like him."

"It can't be," Harry murmured. His head was bowed and he was facing away from where Sirius lay, not wanting to look at him. "It's impossible. Sirius…" He trailed off, unable to finish. Sirius was dead. There was no way of bringing him back.

"We don't really know what happened to him," Hermione said cautiously.

"He went through the Veil," said Harry.

"Which means, what?" Hermione wondered. "We don't really know all that much about the Veil. What we do now is that it's theorised to lead to Giratina's realm but that doesn't mean it's impossible for someone to return. A door opens both ways."

"That's extraordinarily unlikely," Harry protested. "No one has ever returned."

"But most of the people sent through were criminals," Hermione pointed out. "They would not be in any position to make an escape, even if it was possible. Sirius had his Pokémon when he went through, he could have found a way out."

"And let's face it, if it is possible at all then it's bound to happen to someone we know," Ron added. "When you think about it, could you think of anyone more likely to escape than Sirius?"

Harry shook his head. These arguments weren't convincing him.

"You're clutching at straws," Harry told them. "Yes, maybe it might not be one hundred percent impossible but there are more likely reasons than that. And just look at the Pokéballs on his belt." Harry lifted it into the air. "Five. Sirius only had four Pokémon."

"But that was two years ago, Harry," Hermione reminded him. "If he's been out for a while he'd have had plenty of time to catch another one."

"Then if he's been out for so long why hasn't he shown himself before now," Harry countered. "All last year he could have gone back to headquarters or gone up to Hogwarts but he didn't. If he's been out all that time then where was he?"

Ron and Hermione didn't answer. The cave fell quiet once more.

"So, what do we do now?" said Ron eventually, coming back to his original question. "I mean, if this is Sirius then fine, that's fantastic. But if we assume that it isn't then who is he and why is he here? It would be too much of a coincidence if we just happened to find someone who looked exactly like Sirius."

"He must be a Death Eater," Harry said firmly. "There's no other explanation."

"Well, it could be that this is actually Sirius," Ron said pointedly, giving Harry a look that quelled his protest. "But if he's not - if, Harry - then it would make sense. Who else would send a doppelgänger who looks exactly like Sirius."

"Let's hope the answer is no one," Hermione pointed out. "It would be terrible if we found some other group we have to worry about." Ron nodded in agreement.

"What I'm more concerned about is how he found us," Hermione continued. "If he is a Death Eater then does that mean they know where we are? Are we about to be under attack?"

"If they knew where we were they would have attacked by now," Harry noted. "We're not going anywhere. What I'm worried about is if they are awaiting some sort of signal." Harry glanced over his shoulder. "Even if we don't allow this guy to give it we'll still be in trouble. They'll doubtless send out a search party and we cannot be here when they find him."

"So we need to leave," Ron summed up, glancing towards the mouth of the cave with a grimace. They were sheltered where they were, unable to see out into the storm, but they could still hear it, along with the occasional chill as it blew in just the right direction.

"I would want to hold off until the weather calms down," Harry told him. "But we might not have a choice."

"If he is a Death Eater then a search party won't be sent out until the storm is over," Hermione assured him. "When the weather calms we'll have a window, so long as we're paying attention."

"So that means we have until the storm ends to see whether this guy is legit," Ron concluded.

"And if we're still not sure by the time the storm ends then we should just leave, it's not worth the risk," Harry said firmly. "We should leave as soon as the weather begins to calm, we shouldn't wait until conditions are perfect. We'll fly on Charizard. Flygon and Pig shouldn't have to put up with this weather."

"If this isn't Sirius," Hermione stressed. "You know it could be." Harry grit his teeth and nodded.

In the silence that followed Harry glanced over his shoulder once more, turning more fully to properly face the intruder for the first time since they'd realised who it could be. He was certain it couldn't be Sirius, he had seen him fall through Giratina's Veil. He'd only been feet away. And after over a year struggling to come to terms with his loss Harry just couldn't accept that he was here.

Yet, unbidden, Harry began to imagine what could be if it was him. He tried to fight down the images, determined not to give himself false hope, but no matter how much he tried to avoid it the vision of Sirius, laughing before the fire in the Grimmauld Place drawing room, painted itself across Harry's mind and a warm glow began to form in his chest.

Could it be Sirius?

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. If you did please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

To DelugeLeader666: I think my favourite Pokemon to write for is Charizard for Harry, just because he can be such a dynamic character, particularly in battle. For Ron it is easily Arcanine, because he is essentially just a giant dog, and a good boy. And for Hermione it is Mismagius, I think mostly for how flexible it is for whatever you need it to do because of its ghostly properties.

To Brookstar: Thanks for the review, I'm sorry I didn't get back to you last chapter. I don't want to say what Plates are still to come as that gives a little too much away but the last couple of chapters should give you some clues. There are four Plates left for them to find, with two in their possession and the Splash Plate dealt with.

That's all for now. Until next time.


	16. Back From The Dead

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

A chilly wind ruffled through the cave and Harry shivered and, distracted from his focus on the intruder, he turned to look at Torkoal. His embers continued to burn within his shell but something seemed off. Was it just Harry or did the fire seem to be burning much less brightly than before?

"Guys," he said, turning to look at the others. Both Ron and Hermione seemed to have realised something was wrong. "I think there's a problem." Worried eyes turned to him. "I think we've got company."

For a brief moment everything was still, even the howling wind from outside falling silent, then all of a sudden everything seemed to jump back into motion. A high wind blew from between them, knocking Harry, Ron and Hermione onto their backs and away from the source of the blast.

In the centre of the cave a Dusclops faded into view.

"Torkoal!" Ron shouted in panic but the fire type Pokémon was unable to react in time as a Dark Pulse struck his shell, blasting him from his perch on the Flame Plate and sending him spinning helplessly onto his back.

As Torkoal fell away from the Flame Plate the light in the cave dimmed.

"Get the Plate!" Harry called, just able to make out Ron's figure lunge towards his bag, falling upon it to stop Dusclops from stealing it away from him, as Harry himself clambered to his feet, trying to return to his bag, where his Pokéballs rested uselessly out of reach.

A Shadow Punch brought short his progress, catching him in the midriff and sending him sprawling, all the breath knocked out of him. He gasped, looking up at the cave roof as he landed roughly on his back, and for a moment he was unable to move.

"Ah!" Hermione cried somewhere out of vision and all of a sudden Harry burst back into action, scrambling to his feet to run towards her.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, lunging forward too, but in the confusion of the dark he collided with Harry, sending the slighter boy down to the ground once more as up above Ron toppled precariously. His boot came down hard inches from Harry's face and he tripped, swaying off balance as he fell over, landing with a thud on Harry's back.

Winded, his head spinning slightly and the breath knocked out of him once more, Harry blinked away the spots in his vision as he felt Ron begin to struggle back to his feet. He had no idea what was happening, could not crane his neck to see anything other than what was right in front of him, but what he knew was that there was no fight. They'd been caught off guard and if they didn't act fast then Dusclops would do what its evolved forms in Azkaban specialised in.

And then he saw them, lying just out of reach. The Pokéballs they'd confiscated from the intruder.

"Ron, your bag!" Hermione shouted and Ron's weight left Harry as he rushed towards it, Harry only vaguely aware of Dusclops attempting to make off with Ron's rucksack as he himself scrambled forwards on his hands and knees, scooping up a Pokéball.

He hesitated. In this Pokéball was their best chance of fighting. But what if their captive was a Death Eater? What if these weren't Sirius's Pokéballs?

"Get lost you steaming pile of shit!" Ron roared and Harry looked over to find the boy clinging on to his bag, the luggage floating in the air as Dusclops attempted to take it away.

Harry made up his mind.

"Go!" He shouted, pointing the Pokéball out towards the ghost type Pokémon and praying that he'd made the right choice. A flash of red light blinded him for a moment, the Pokémon bursting to stand before him, and as Harry lay there, twisted onto his back to stare up at the action above, a Gallade stood before him.

The battle was short and brutal. With devastating and precise blows Gallade hammered the ghost type back, pressing onwards as the intruding Pokémon backed away in panic, before Dusclops eventually decided it was overmatched and faded through the cave wall.

Harry stared up at Gallade, watching as the fighting and psychic type stood resolute, as if anticipating the Dusclops to reappear. But it didn't. Gallade's guard began to drop and it turned to face him.

Harry could not move.

Light filled the cave once more, Ron having clambered to his feet and carried the still helplessly flailing Torkoal back over to his spot on the Flame Plate, and all of a sudden everything had returned to how it was.

The change caught Gallade by surprise and it turned to look around, and with that Harry finally felt himself free from the Pokémon's stare. He quickly pulled himself to his feet, brushing himself off and pointedly avoiding looking at Gallade.

"Is everyone alright?" Hermione asked, looking a bit shaken but otherwise unharmed.

"Yeah," Ron muttered, letting out a small sigh of relief. He turned to the entrance, a grimace on his face.

"We forgot to put a Pokémon on guard," he said, visibly kicking himself for the oversight. "We were too distracted."

"But we got away with it," Hermione reminded him. "And I think we've all learned something of vital importance while it happened." She looked towards Gallade.

Harry shook his head.

"This doesn't mean anything," he said stubbornly. Ron and Hermione looked at him incredulously.

"Harry," said Ron but Harry continued to shake his head.

"If Death Eaters thought enough to send us a Sirius Black lookalike then it would only make sense that they'd give him the same Pokémon as they knew the real Sirius Black had," he said stubbornly. "It would only make sense if the goal was for us to trust him."

"But Harry, that is Gallade," Ron told him, pointing obviously towards the Pokémon. "That's him. We know it is."

"No, we don't," Harry snapped. "We don't know anything." He held Gallade's Pokéball out, not looking towards the Pokémon. "Return."

Gallade disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Harry, this is ridiculous," Hermione told him, looking just about fed up with Harry's denials. "I know this is difficult for you, I understand, but this is quite clearly Sirius. All the signs point to it being him."

"All the evidence we have is circumstantial," Harry denied.

"It's not," retorted Hermione. "And it is all there, right in front of you. Harry, if this isn't enough to convince you then is there anything that will?"

There was silence in response. Harry could not answer, for the very reason Hermione had suggested. At this moment he could not admit that Sirius had come back, logic no longer played any part in the argument. He'd gone through his mourning, he had come to terms with it. Sirius was dead.

The figure on the ground shifted slightly, all eyes turning towards it, and the man, whether it was Sirius or not, let out a loud snort as he started to stir.

"I guess we're about to find out," Ron commented, stepping closer towards the man, a Pokéball now in his hand just in case. Hermione joined him, anxious as the man began to wake, despite her words, and after a moment's hesitation Harry followed them.

It took awhile for the man to rouse himself, Hypnosis having that effect on people, and Harry, Ron and Hermione waited, crouched down in front of him as his eyes began to blink open. He looked blearily between them, his brain clearly not having caught up yet, and then he turned to Harry.

"Harry," he murmured, his voice barely more than a breath, and at once a sense of relief seemed to flood through him. "I found you." And as Harry looked down at the man, looking into his bleary, striking grey eyes, he finally began to accept it.

This, without a shadow of a doubt, was Sirius Black.

* * *

It took awhile longer for Sirius to gain full consciousness, such was the strength behind Noctowl's attack. He sat propped up against the cave wall, having been given some water to drink to help clear away the fog, and as he did his eyes started to clear.

Harry watched anxiously as Sirius gradually made his return to the land of the waking. It was not safety he was concerned about, not anymore, for he genuinely believed that it was Sirius that was sitting before him, but he still found himself bracing against what was to come. There were so many questions to ask, questions Harry wasn't sure he would like to know the answer to, and for the time being Harry remained on edge.

Sirius finished taking a long sip, letting out a loud sigh of contentedness. He held out the water bottle.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said, handing it back to the girl. "It's been awhile since I had the chance to refresh myself. I've been travelling for a fair time now, and I'm sure you know what that's like."

"Tell me about it," muttered Ron, glancing towards the large bag Sirius had brought with him and then back to where their's sat across the cave. "But why were you even travelling in the first place?"

"Well, I could just Teleport," Sirius reasoned. "But I'm sort of homeless, now. You burned down my house."

"We had to," Hermione said defensively. "We had no other choice."

"Oh, I'm sure," Sirius readily agreed. "I'm not mad at all. Happy, even. I hated that place, I could not think of a more fitting fate. But Remus had told me you were staying there and I was worried, which makes me exceptionally glad you didn't go down with it."

"You could do with being a bit more enthusiastic about that," Ron grumbled. Sirius grinned.

"Anyway, that's why I've been travelling," Sirius told them. "No one has seen anything of you so I was hoping to find you somewhere out here. I checked all the usual places; Remus's place, Tonks's, The Burrow…"

"The Burrow," Ron exclaimed excitedly. "You were there? How is everybody? Are they okay?" Thoughts of the visions they'd seen in the forest brought an unpleasant feeling to mind.

"Well, they are absolutely beside themselves," Sirius told them. "Worried out of their minds for you three, and everything else that's been going on. But apart from that they're doing well, or as well as anyone can do these days."

"Thank god," Ron muttered, letting out a sigh of relief. Harry too felt a weight lift from his chest.

"Yes, it is fantastic," Hermione agreed, before her eyes narrowed. "But that's beside the point at the moment. What I want to know is what happened to you. How did you get back through the Veil?"

"Where were you?" Harry asked, his voice quiet. "Why didn't you contact me? I thought you were dead."

A heavy silence settled over the cave.

"Harry," Sirius said softly, his words feeling heavy as he spoke. "Harry, I promise I had no intention of leaving you thinking I was dead. Ever since I've wanted nothing more than to get back to you, to be there for you in what I can only assume has been an incredibly difficult time. I would have been there with you the very next day if I could have, there were just some… tough circumstances, that got in the way."

Harry wanted to believe him, knew logically that Sirius must have a decent explanation. He had loved him, that much was a fact, and if he hadn't been there for Harry there must have been a good reason that kept him away. But still…

"I know it might be hard to believe," Sirius said with a grimace. "But hopefully you'll be able to understand better once I tell you my story."

He took a deep breath.

"Okay, well, I suppose this all starts in the Department of Mysteries," he began, an uncomfortable look on his face as though he really didn't like reliving it. "We were battling before the Veil and Gallade was hit and started to fall in. And in my incredible foolishness I jumped in to try and save him, for all the good that would have done. What could I do to rescue us?"

"So how did you escape?" Hermione wondered. "How did you get back from Giratina's realm?"

"Well, I didn't," Sirius told her. "Saying that I escaped from Giratina's world is a bit misleading because I never actually crossed over, not fully at any rate. We were halfway through, still trapped in the gateway itself, when we, or rather Gallade, saved us."

"Funnily enough Teleportation is one of the few things that has actually been studied in looking at possibilities of travel between realms," Sirius noted. "It is impossible to Teleport there and psychic type Pokémon sent through the Veil have never come back. It is widely assumed to be fact that Teleportation does not work."

"Fortunately this is not entirely correct. Sure, maybe you can't Teleport between realms but it seems like the gateway, the Veil itself, is somewhat of a grey area. Gallade was able to Teleport us out, before we'd fully passed through, and we appeared in a forest, somewhere, safe and sound. But we paid a price."

A pained look crossed Sirius's face, his breathing faltering as he closed his eyes, reliving that which clearly had left a mark in more than just a physical sense.

He took a breath, forcing himself to calm once more, before he continued, his expression taught.

"Not all of us made it out," he said shakily. "When we reappeared in that forest we were safe, yes, but we were in no shape to be doing anything. We were feeling awful, suffering from an ailment that did not have any true physical manifestations but most certainly had an effect. I was close to death and Gallade was even worse, and had we been left there I highly doubt I'd be speaking to you now."

"But you were found?" Ron said, his tone worried even though clearly Sirius had got out of the situation alive. "Someone got you?"

Sirius didn't reply immediately. Instead he leaned forwards, reaching out to where his belt lay, five Pokéballs still attached, and pulled the fifth one loose.

"We were happened upon by a wild Chansey," Sirius told them, glancing from the Pokéball in his hand as he clutched it tight, as though taking comfort from its presence. "She saw us and knew we needed help and in line with her kind hearted nature she gave it to us. She could not heal what had been done, that is beyond any Pokémon or, indeed, any person, but she provided us with food, warmth and shelter. Through months and months, through all seasons and all weathers, she stood by us until we were able to go off on our own. And by that time our bond had grown so strong that we took her with us, had her join our team, and with the strength of that bond she was able to evolve." Sirius favoured a warm smile at the Pokéball. "I could not be more grateful, or more fortunate, that she happened upon us that day."

For a moment Sirius appeared lost in memories, gazing down at the Pokéball in his hand with a soft smile, before eventually his expression lost some of its joy and he slowly placed the Pokéball back on that ground.

"When I got back," he continued, turning to face them once more, "the world was in chaos. In my return I came across a Daily Prophet announcing Dumbledore's death and at that moment I realised how bad things must have gotten in my absence. Not knowing anything about the world I now lived in I went to Remus's, only to find it empty, and could do little more than thank god when I found him at Tonks's place."

"And, after a few months searching, here we are," Sirius told them. "I found you. That's my story."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"Well, that's… that's something. But why?" Ron wondered. "I feel like I already asked this but why were you trying to find us? Surely the Legion could really use your help, what with the war and everything. Why are you here with us when you could be helping them?" Sirius shrugged.

"Maybe they could use my help," he suggested in an offhand manner. "But the truth is I had a choice. My survival is still known by only a very select few and that gives me the opportunity to operate without much notice. And I had a godson out there, someone who could need my help. At the end of the day that's all that matters." Sirius met Harry's gaze.

"When your parents made me your godfather it was with the belief that should anything happen to them that I would be there to help you," Sirius told him. "So far I have done a pretty lousy job at that, what with Azkaban and my most recent disappearance, but I still intend to keep my promise to Lily and James. I'll fight this war, but you are my number one priority."

Harry gazed back at Sirius, subconsciously trying to find any hint that he was insincere. But he couldn't and Harry's even greater wish, to have Sirius back again, overwhelmed it. Feeling as though there were something large lodged in his throat Harry give a silent nod.

Sirius kept eye contact with Harry for a moment longer, as if to ensure that Harry could see that he was being truthful, before he relaxed. His whole countenance seemed to get more comfortable and suddenly he seemed just like the Sirius of old, a grin threatening the corner of his mouth.

"Anyway," he said, his voice strong once more. "Remus gave me the impression you have some super important mission you're working on and I thought you could use a little help." He reached over and pulled his rucksack towards him, opening it up and fishing out a large and unwieldy sack from inside.

"I found these awhile back, early in my search," Sirius told them as he shoved his bag away, pulling open the top of the sack and pulling out a spherical object from within.

Hermione gasped.

"Is that…?"

"A Mega Stone," Sirius finished for her. "Yeah, it is. Think of it as an early Christmas present. Unless I've been out of it all night in which case, a very well on time Christmas present." Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Christmas?" Hermione whispered.

"You didn't know?" Sirius asked, sounding surprised. "Yeah, it's Christmas. Or Christmas Eve, depending on how long I've been out. It doesn't feel like I was asleep that long so I reckon we've got a few hours yet."

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat dumbstruck.

"Anyway," Sirius continued, trying to pull their attention back to him as they were clearly caught off guard by his revelation. "The Mega Stones. Back before all this I had a contact with access to a mine where they could be found. He ratted on me, actually. That's how the Ministry caught me. But he's disappeared now so I was able to get myself some compensation." He placed the Mega Stone on the ground and reached back into the sack. "There's not a lot I was able to salvage, only what had already been retrieved. I have no qualifications as a miner."

"Anything you were able to get is great," Ron told him enthusiastically, leaning forward to examine the Mega Stone he'd already revealed more closely. "Which ones do you have? Any we can use?"

"Hopefully," Sirius told him. "I assume your Pokémon have changed since the last time I saw you. I was able to get Galladite and Aerodactylite, which I assume I won't have to fight you for. That one there is Ampharosite."

"Not useful, I'm afraid," Hermione told him, shaking her head.

"Well, I've got a few others in here," Sirius told them, pulling out another Mega Stone and examining it. "How about Absolite?"

Hermione perked up. "Oh, yes, I have an Absol," she said excitedly.

"And a Key Stone?" Sirius asked hopefully. Hermione nodded. "Well, here you go. Merry Christmas."

"What else have you got?" Ron asked excitedly, too impatient to wait for Sirius to bring them all out one at a time. "I have a Pidgeot and a Metagross. Both of them have Mega forms." Sirius let out a low whistle.

"A Metagross? Nice," he complemented. "And I'm glad Pig was able to evolve again, not that I'm surprised." He looked down at the sack and grimaced. "It looks like you're out of luck though."

Ron sat back, looking disappointed.

"I was able to find Aggronite, but I've given that to Remus," Sirius told them, opening up the sack wider so he could peer inside. "Other than that I have Beedrillite, Gengarite, Heracronite, and Lucarionite."

"Lucarionite?" Harry repeated, shocked. Sirius looked up.

"You've got one?" Sirius asked, looking both surprised and excited. "For real? They're very rare. Rarer than even Metagross, I reckon."

"Dumbledore left him to me," Harry said. The cave went quiet. All four of them bowed their heads.

"That man," Sirius said, his face breaking into a reluctant smile. "Even in death he remains a sly old bugger who always knew how to get things done." Sirius turned to Harry, holding out the Mega Stone. "A bond with a Lucario is one of the strongest a trainer can have with a Pokémon. A bond strong enough to Mega Evolve…?" Sirius let out another low whistle. "That's a power all of its own."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	17. Christmas

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The evening passed quietly with some warm conversation as Harry, Ron and Hermione began to get used to Sirius's presence. At Hermione's questioning Sirius showed them a selection of Mega Stone holders that they could use for their Pokémon, and with Harry and Hermione making their picks they soon decided to call it a night and get some sleep.

Harry struggled to sleep that night. Not only had so much happened - and it wasn't even that late - he also wasn't used to having anyone but Ron and Hermione around when he was trying to sleep. Despite Sirius's snores being soft Harry still struggled not to fixate on them as he tried to doze off himself, and the absence of Ron's much louder snoring told him he was not alone in this issue.

It was only after a few hours, at which point he was really starting to feel the effects of what had been a tiring day, that Harry decided he had to do something and called on the support of Talonflame and Greninja to stand guard. With the two Pokémon keeping watch Harry was finally able to get some rest.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and calm. The storm of the day before had subsided.

"We're going to head to the village nearby," Ron announced, more for Sirius's benefit as Harry was well aware of their plans already. "We need to get some supplies, and Harry's too recognisable to come with us."

"Got it," Sirius told him, nodding as he watched Ron and Hermione wrap up warm, preparing to step into the cold outside.

"We won't be long," Hermione promised and then they were gone, walking out into the snow and leaving Harry and Sirius on their own.

For a while the two sat in companionable silence. Harry was sitting by the warmth of Torkoal's shell, 'Gods on Earth' open in his lap as he read, with the Odd Keystone sitting innocently beside him.

Sirius wandered to the entrance of the cave, poking his head outside.

"Is Greninja alright out there?" He asked as he walked back, jerking his thumb towards the entrance. Greninja was taking watch, the need for security brought into focus after the incident with Dusclops, and he had been standing motionless in the snow since dawn. "I know the weather's calmed down a bit but it's still cold out there."

"He's fine," Harry assured him, allowing his gaze to flicker briefly to the entrance before he turned back to his book. "He's tough and he has some pretty unique abilities too. Protean allows him to turn into any type of Pokémon he has a move for, and he knows Ice Punch. Right now he is right at home."

Sirius looked intrigued.

"Interesting," he said, stroking his goatee as he glanced back. "I've heard of Protean before but only in passing. I've never met a Pokémon with the ability." He glanced over at Harry. "Sounds like Greninja is a useful partner." Harry nodded.

Sirius wandered further into the cave and took a seat, directly across from Harry as he sat on the other side of Torkoal. A moment later he looked up.

"You said abilities," he noted, frowning slightly. "Is there something else Greninja can do that is… unusual?"

Harry hesitated.

"There is something," he muttered, scratching at his eyebrow awkwardly. "I'm not so sure you could call it an ability… or really say it's Greninja's." He sighed. "It's a bit confusing, really. I've never really understood it."

"What is it?" Sirius asked interestedly. Harry hesitated, grappling for the right words to explain it.

"It's a connection, of sorts," Harry told him eventually. "Between me and Greninja. A shared destiny, Arceus called it."

There was a pause.

"Arceus?" Sirius repeated, eyes wide. "As in, the Arceus?" Harry glanced up.

"There is so much we still need to tell you," he said.

"Clearly," muttered Sirius but he pushed past it. "Let's just stick with Greninja for now." Harry nodded.

He glanced over to the entrance of the cave, unable to see Greninja, but aware he could probably hear everything that was going on inside. He sighed.

"It all started last year," he said, turning back to Sirius. "Before I caught him, before we were even properly introduced, we'd have these moments where I'd be able to see through Greninja's eyes, like I was him." Harry grimaced. "It didn't happen that often but, when we were close by, it meant something."

"I can imagine," Sirius murmured. "I've never heard of anything like that happening before."

"Neither had Dumbledore, I don't think," Harry agreed. "But Arceus seemed to indicate that the connection was part of our shared destiny, which I presume has something to do with defeating Voldemort. Anyway, the last time it happened was months ago. Ever since I caught Greninja everything seems to have gone quiet." He bit his lip. "I don't know what to expect."

There was a brief silence.

"Well, I wish I could help you," Sirius announced, loud into the silence. "But truthfully I have no idea. Remus would know, but me…" He shrugged. "All I can say is that it doesn't seem to be hurting you so how bad could it be. I wouldn't worry about it."

Harry snorted.

"I haven't even had time to worry about it," he said, his eyes dropping down to the text of 'Gods on Earth'. "Not when I've got so many other things to worry about."

They sat still for a moment before Sirius stood up. From the corner of his eye Harry watched as Sirius rounded Torkoal and sat next to him.

"So, what about it?" He wondered, and Harry looked up to see Sirius fix him with a pointed look. "The other things, what are they? Why are you out here? Why aren't you in a warehouse or something? And why does Remus seem to think you are up to something?"

Harry's gaze dropped slightly from Sirius's, his thoughts going to war with each other in his head. On the one hand his stubbornness screamed at him not to say anything, that he needed to keep quiet, while on the other side a more logical part of his brain reasoned that there really wasn't a choice to be made. Some way or another they'd have to come clean, or lose Sirius.

Harry closed 'Gods on Earth' and gently laid it to the side, bracing himself for what he was about to say. Taking a deep breath he looked up to face Sirius fully.

"Voldemort is immortal," he told him. Sirius blinked. "This isn't some sort of wild, nihilistic claim or fear, it is a stone cold, irrefutable fact. And I know how he does it." Looking behind him Harry spotted Ron's rucksack and, pulling it closer, he extracted the Spooky Plate from within.

"This is one of the Arceus Plates," Harry explained, watching as Sirius's eyes widened at his words. "And Torkoal is sitting on another one." Sirius turned to look. His mouth fell open.

"Wow," he muttered. "Harry…?" But Harry ignored him. He wasn't finished.

"The Plates are tainted," he explained, and his fingers ran across the dark lines spread across the surface of the Spooky Plate. "Voldemort has injected his essence into them and has therefore managed to tie his life force to Arceus's. In effect he cannot die unless Arceus dies."

"Can Arceus die?" Sirius wondered, sounding doubtful. "I would not have thought so." Harry shook his head glumly. Gently he placed the Spooky Plate on the ground, making sure to keep it a safe distance from the Odd Keystone on his other side.

"The only way to make Voldemort mortal again is to return the Plates he's tainted to Arceus," Harry explained. "He alone can cleanse them. So that's what we're doing. There were seven Arceus Plates that were stolen and after he was done with them Voldemort hid them around the country. We've retrieved two of them, the ones we've got here, and another has already been returned safely to Arceus."

Sirius looked impressed.

"Then you're almost halfway there," he told him excitedly. "Just give it, what, another year or so, then we'll have them all." Harry grimaced.

"It's not exactly that easy," he warned, feeling his stomach clench as he thought back to the trials that they'd already been through just for the three Plates they'd retrieved.

"How so?" Sirius wondered.

"The Plates are protected," Harry told him. "And those protections…" he shook his head. "They're effective. Dumbledore died retrieving the Splash Plate. Hermione almost did going after the Flame Plate. Same with Lucario, Mismagius, Charizard… And that's not even taking into account our run-ins with Death Eaters." Harry trailed a hand over the Spooky Plate, feeling its chilling cold. "Or the mental strain."

Silence followed his words and for a second Harry gazed down at the Spooky Plate, his hand resting on it despite him knowing that it was likely a bad idea. He just felt so tired, tired of the hiding and the fighting, tired of the journey they'd been sent on and the danger threatening his friends and loved ones. He only wished everything could just stop, that there could be a break where he got the chance to breath once more, but he knew with a heavy heart that that was little more than a dream.

A hand fell on Harry's shoulder and he jumped, and as he did so his hand moved away from the Spooky Plate. Immediately he felt warmer and he turned around to see Sirius, the one who had caught his attention. There was a somber look in his eyes, and a heaviness to them that Harry recognised only too well.

Sirius didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

Harry nodded.

"Anyway, that's where we're at," he said, breaking the spell. Sirius leaned back, releasing Harry's shoulder, and all of a sudden the atmosphere seemed to lighten.

"We've got loads of places still to check," Harry told him. "Dumbledore left us some notes and we've been checking up on all his leads, but it's slow going. We're lucky to have found two already. And who knows when we'll find another one. Maybe it'll take a year. Maybe we'll find it tomorrow. Maybe we'll have all of them by the end of the week."

"Unlikely," Sirius said with a small grin. "But it's a nice thought." Harry grunted in agreement.

"So," said Sirius. "If that's what you've been doing then where is this from?" He picked up the Odd Keystone.

"No!" Harry shouted, before he could stop himself, and on reflex he snatched it from Sirius's grasp. Sirius looked alarmed.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, starting to calm himself. With a slowly steadying pulse he gently placed the Odd Keystone back where it had been. "It's just, if you'd been there when we found it…" he tailed off.

"Here," he said, pulling 'Gods on Earth' back into his lap and quickly flicking through to the right page, showing it to Sirius. Still confused by Harry's abrupt actions Sirius read.

"Okay," he muttered as he finished reading, glancing much more warily towards the Odd Keystone. "Okay, I get it now. Super creepy. That's Spiritomb?" Harry nodded.

"Spiritomb is the manifestation of a hundred and eight trapped souls," Harry explained, reciting from the book as he gently closed it again. "Only a major power source can free it. Voldemort used the Spooky Plate."

"So you fought it?" Sirius asked, amazed. "You actually battled it?" Harry nodded grimly.

"When we took the Spooky Plate it tried to kill us," he said. "Only by defeating it could we force it back into the Odd Keystone." Harry glanced at the object, his gaze running across the strange markings that caused it to stand out from normality.

"We took it with us to stop Voldemort from being able to use it again," Harry explained. "I shudder to think what he could do welding that sort of power."

They fell silent once more. While Sirius digested everything Harry had told him Harry felt a certain amount of relief at being able to share it. He had been keeping the secret for so long, only able to confide in Ron and Hermione, and to an extent Ginny, that it felt good to have somebody else who understood what was happening.

He bit his lip.

"Thanks for the Mega Stones," he said, surprising Sirius by breaking the silence. "They could definitely prove useful." Sirius shrugged.

"I wasn't going to be using them," he said carelessly. "And they're better off in your hands than they are in anyone else's. Plus, I hadn't got you a Christmas present."

"Apart from yourself," Harry noted. Again Sirius shrugged, though this time with a grin.

"I guess I'm just so damn generous."

Harry chuckled, feeling a familiar warmth as they spoke. He'd missed this. He never would have guessed he would have the opportunity to talk with Sirius again, much less making jokes as they sat around a campfire, even one in the form of Torkoal. He'd thought times like this were gone forever.

He stood up.

"Harry?" Sirius questioned but Harry didn't respond immediately. Instead he moved over to his bag, rummaging around inside until he found what he was looking for, before returning.

"I visited Grimmauld Place not that long ago," Harry began. "Most of it is burned to the ground now, but…" Sirius grinned at him. "Well, in the spirit of Christmas I've got something for you." And he handed over Regulus's journal.

Sirius looked confused as Harry handed it over, turning it over in his hands without a hint of recognition on his face. It wasn't surprising, Regulus had started the journal after Sirius had left, and remembering that fact brought a new twinge of pain as Harry watched his godfather's confusion.

Sirius looked up at him.

"It was your brother's," Harry told him, noting the surprise on Sirius's face. "He got it not long after you left home, and it has entries all the way up until the day he died." Sirius's expression darkened.

"Sirius," Harry said softly, his voice almost pained as he stared into his godfather's eyes. "Regulus wasn't what you thought he was."

Sirius frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked gruffly, his expression remaining dour, and Harry realised just how sensitive a topic this was. He hesitated.

"It is true that he supported Voldemort," Harry admitted. "And that he became a Death Eater, but he wasn't a bad person. There are loads of entries you can read, some about you. He didn't hate you like you think he did."

"I knew that," Sirius murmured, his voice hard. "I knew Regulus did not have hate in him. But he was naive, blinded, and he did not question our family's beliefs like I did, even as the world began to burn around him."

"I agree," Harry told him. "With all that, it's all true. But the last entries…" Harry sighed. There was no easy way to say this.

"Before Regulus died Voldemort used him, him and a bunch of other low level Death Eaters, to help organise the defences of one of the Arceus Plates," Harry told him. "When Regulus found out what the defences were for and what Voldemort was doing he knew it was wrong. He went back to the cave to try and put things right, to steal the Plate from Voldemort. That's how he died."

Sirius was completely still as Harry finished talking, staring down at the closed journal in his hands with blank, unseeing eyes. It appeared as if his entire system had shut down.

The he shifted.

"He shouldn't have done that," he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. He shook his head. "He should have got help. He should have gone to Dumbledore."

"Probably," Harry agreed. "But what's important is that he tried to do the right thing." He paused. "And because of what he did back then, one of his Pokémon was there to save my life."

Sirius's head snapped towards him, his eyes wide and filled with an odd emotion. Hope. Hope for Regulus's redemption.

"It was?" He asked, his voice scratchy. "Who?"

"Mr Mime," Harry told him. "I was about to be jumped on by a Swampert and he appeared out of nowhere and raised a Barrier to protect me. Not only did he save my life but he gave me the chance I needed to escape, with the Splash Plate." Harry paused.

"I wish he could be here to see you," he said quietly, his head bowed. "But he's with Regulus now. He did what Regulus would have wanted him to do."

Sirius seemed to nod almost unconsciously along with Harry's words and from the corner of his eye Harry watched as he pulled Regulus's journal to his chest, holding it as though it was the boy himself.

Sirius's pain filled eyes fell closed with blessed relief.

Harry sat back, giving Sirius his moment, and as he watched he felt a little tendril of warmth burn inside him. Ever since he'd first come across Regulus's journal it had pained him how the two brothers had never had a chance to reconcile. Now that Sirius knew the truth, that he knew that when it came down to it Regulus had done what was right, even if Regulus was not around to see it, Harry's mind was put at ease.

For the first time in many years Sirius and Regulus were brothers once more.

* * *

Some time later Ron and Hermione returned with the supplies they needed for the next few days, along with some extra.

"Come on, Harry, it's Christmas," Ron said enthusiastically, donning a pair of antlers and grinning as a smiling Hermione tried to press a red nose onto his face. "Let's party!"

He threw a Santa hat to Harry who, after a moment's pause, gave in to Ron's enthusiasm and jammed it on his head.

What followed was Christmas dinner on a much lower scale than that of Hogwarts or the Burrow. A series of sausages, wrapped up in bacon, accompanied by the various forms of potato they had on offer, were consumed with gusto, all the while the four of them chatted and laughed the night away. A pack of crackers were pulled, Hermione and Sirius soon wearing the cheap paper hats from inside, as Ron loudly and boisterously told the terrible Christmas jokes and Harry entertained himself with the small plastic spinning top.

Eventually, after many hours of talking and laughing, the food long since eaten and the chocolate they'd got for pudding being munched through too, they decided to call it a night, gathering up the various bits and bobs they'd need to dispose of in the morning before settling down for a satisfied night's sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for more updates.


	18. Valentine's Day Blues

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The Christmas cheer did not last long as December moved into the bleak January of the new year. Though they continued to search, the boost of having Sirius to help them providing immeasurable support, they came up with very little, and their progress was slow.

Along the way they finally tried out the new Mega Stones that Sirius had got for them. For Ron this was a long time coming, and Blastoise transformed with almost impatience as Ron finally connected the Mega Stone he'd received from Dumbledore to the Key Stone he'd received for his seventeenth birthday.

It was similarly easy for Harry and Lucario to Mega Evolve, the bond between them having been proven in the past few months, and Sirius had Gallade out in his Mega form to stand stoically alongside him.

The only problem was Hermione.

"I can't do it," she muttered aggravatedly, pressing her fingers to her Key Stone as Absol stood patiently before her. Her attempts at Mega Evolution had so far come up short. "I suppose our bond just isn't strong enough yet."

That was certainly a possibility, as Absol had only been with them since last May, but Harry suspected there was another factor that Hermione had overlooked.

The steady influence of the Spooky Plate had not avoided his attention. As time passed the mood around the campsite dipped dramatically, even in Sirius, who had not been around the Plate for as long as the others, and as their conversations began to get short and ill tempered it was only a matter of time before a fight broke out.

Which it eventually did in early February as a simple conversation about where to search next turned into a shouting match between Ron and Hermione.

They needed a break, all of them, but they could not leave the Spooky Plate unguarded. Already a Dusclops had tried to steal it, they couldn't risk it happening again.

And so Harry came to a decision and a few days later Hermione and Ron were packed up and ready to go, leaving Harry, Sirius, and the Spooky Plate at the campsite for a whole day of peace without the dark cloud hanging over them.

"Thank you for doing this, Harry," Hermione told him as the couple prepared to leave. She looked exhausted, as Harry was sure he did too. None of them had been sleeping well. "We'll return the favour, I promise."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said softly. "Just go and… enjoy your day. Don't think about anything else, just have a good time."

"I'll leave the Flame Plate with you," Ron told him, clapping him on the shoulder in thanks. "Torkoal should be able to keep us warm enough for one night."

"Have fun," Harry told them and a moment later they were gone.

Harry sat down by the Flame Plate, the heat not so present without Torkoal there to boost it, and he rubbed his hands together as he settled in for a day without Ron and Hermione. It would be the first time in months that he'd be away from them for more than a few hours at a time, and while Harry could imagine the freedom Ron and Hermione would be feeling right about now the Spooky Plate remained by Harry's side.

His fingers itched uncomfortably as he sat there, the Spooky Plate's malicious presence enveloping him, and more than ever he found himself wishing for the time plant once more. He needed the reminders of the good times more than ever. It had been a very long time. A long time since he'd last seen her.

"That was very good of you."

Harry looked up. Sirius was staring across at him.

"What?" He wondered.

"Giving Ron and Hermione a day away from everything," Sirius clarified. "That argument… I know they have a history of it but nothing like that."

"They don't fight," Harry said quickly, keen to defend his friends. "They disagree on things but they both know the other is only doing what they think is best. That's why they work. That argument isn't them."

"I believe that," Sirius assured him. "In fact I'm glad they finally got together. It was quite the topic of discussion among certain Legion members." Harry shook his head in amusement. Of course it was.

"Anyway, I was just saying that what you did was great," Sirius pressed. "It meant a lot to them." Harry shrugged.

"It's Valentine's Day," he said. Since Christmas he'd been paying more attention as the days flew past. "And they've been so good to me, they deserve it." Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of Valentine's Day," he murmured, wandering closer. Harry looked up. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Harry wondered.

"Well, from what I hear you have your own partner to be thinking about today," Sirius told him. Harry looked away. "Remus told me about you two. That caught me by surprise, I must admit."

Harry's relationship with Ginny was something of a mystery for someone who hadn't been around over the past year. It had been in the aftermath of Sirius's death that they had first started to travel down the road to their relationship.

Sirius settled down beside him.

"It can't be easy not being able to see her."

Harry shook his head. That was an understatement.

"What about you?" He asked, turning the attention back on Sirius, not feeling comfortable talking about his own situation. "Do you have someone out there waiting for you?"

"Nah," Sirius told him, unconcerned. "After Azkaban I never really had time for a relationship. And back when I was younger I was a bit of a playboy. I liked the ladies but never any particularly lady for very long." Sirius glanced at him. "I guess it's not best for me to be saying that, being your godfather and all."

"Probably not," Harry agreed. Sirius grinned.

"That's not to say there weren't girls who left their mark," he said, stretching out his legs as he reminisced. "Some beautiful girls, sure, but the ones that always stood out were the ones that had something more. Like your mother, though I would never have dared try anything, or Marlene McKinnon."

"What about Melissa Wright?" Harry wondered. Sirius looked at him, surprised.

"Melissa Wright?" He repeated.

"She was in Regulus's journal," Harry told him. "He seemed quite taken with her." Sirius let out a smile.

"Well, he did have good taste," he reasoned. "Melissa Wright was a stunner, and dead smart too. I actually asked her out once. She turned me down. I wonder what she's doing now."

"She and Regulus were dating," Harry told him. Sirius blinked in surprise. "It's in his journal."

Sirius let out a low whistle.

"Way to go, Reg," he muttered. Harry smiled. "I suppose that's another reason for me to track Melissa down then, once this is all over. Blimey."

Harry nodded along but his thoughts had fallen away at Sirius's words. Once it was all over. He could only hope to still be around to see it.

"So," Sirius spoke, snapping Harry out of it. "You and Ginny." He grinned.

Harry flushed. "Yes?"

"Well, you've got to tell me about it," Sirius told him. "How did you get together? What happened? As your godfather my role has always been to help you pick up babes, I desperately need to be caught up with the situation."

Harry smiled.

"Well, there was quite a lot of stuff that happened," he said hesitantly, thinking back over the last couple of years. "But we didn't actually get together until this time last year."

"Tell me," Sirius urged. Harry paused.

"Well, earlier, a long time ago, Ginny did something that sort of gave away that she liked me," Harry said, noncommittal. It seemed wrong to out Ginny for her kiss back in his fifth year. "Things were awkward for a while but we worked through it and were able to stay friends."

"And?" Sirius pressed, expecting more. Harry blushed.

"Then I realised I liked her," he admitted, doing his best to ignore Sirius's proud grin. "There was an incident before the first Quidditch match that kind of put the idea in my head and made me wonder, and since then I've been steadily falling for her, even if I didn't realise it."

"It wasn't until Christmas, actually, that I realised I really liked her," he said thoughtfully. "When we came back from the holidays I decided I was going to do something about it."

"So you waited until Valentine's Day?" Sirius wondered with a frown.

"Not deliberately," Harry defended himself. "But you know how things are like in Hogwarts, when I first got back I was too busy being worried about what Malfoy was up to, and about Dumbledore dying and everything he told me about Voldemort and the Arceus Plates."

"You know, just the regular Hogwarts stuff," Sirius agreed. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, Valentine's Day came along and so of course I couldn't help but think of Ginny and what I wanted to say," Harry told him. "I knew I had to do something, a girl like Ginny doesn't stay single for long, so I came up with a plan."

"A plan?" Sirius repeated. "Hold up a second I think I'm getting deja-vu. You sound exactly like James. For three Valentine's Days straight he came up with 'a plan' to get with Lily, each more extravagant than the previous."

"I assume they never worked," Harry guessed. Sirius grinned.

"No, but it was fun to watch him try," Sirius told him. "And it seems his legacy has passed on down to you."

Harry shook his head.

"I don't think my plan was anywhere near as dramatic as the things you guys came up with," he told him. "I've heard some of the stories."

"So, what was your plan?" Sirius wondered. "I mean, it worked, right? You got the girl."

"Not really," said Harry, a small smile curling his lips. "I got the girl, sure, but I sort of abandoned the plan halfway through." At a look from Sirius he elaborated.

"I had this sort of dream scenario," he told him, "that if I could win the Valentine's Day Battling Competition Ginny would be really impressed and then in the aftermath I could kiss her and… well, I never really thought up the details. I just knew that if I won good things would happen."

"But you didn't win," Sirius assumed.

"Oh, no, I did," Harry assured him, having a weird need to assure Sirius that he had in fact won the battle competition. "But it was before the final that, well, it all happened." Harry hesitated.

"I was in the last semi-final," he said, remembering back to the day. "And there was a small break before the final so I had a chance to prepare. Well, I was thinking about this, about the plan, with only one battle left, and I noticed Ginny leave the hall. She was only going to the bathroom, of course, but I was so worried she'd miss the final that I went after her. When I caught up in the Entrance Hall I was left to come up with some sort of explanation."

"And what did you say?" Sirius asked.

"I told her," said Harry. "In my own flawed, confusing way I just told her how I felt. The whole plan was so stupid anyway and I felt stupid because of it so I was just honest with her instead." He shrugged. "Turns out that's all I needed."

How foolish he had been to think that any sort of ruse or set up could have won him Ginny's affections. How naive was it, now he could look back on that day, to think that somehow winning a battle meant winning her heart. Had Harry stuck to the plan he likely would never have told her how he felt.

And though loving Ginny and being apart brought its own pain he was grateful that he'd seen the light before his opportunity was lost.

"What a tale," Sirius murmured, and Harry looked over. The older man had a soft smile on his face and his eyes were warm, crinkled in delight. "A tale worthy of any great love story. And you've been together ever since?"

"In as much as it is possible we can be," Harry murmured, his spirits falling as his thoughts fell back on his current situation. He picked at his shoes. "Even at the time we kept things quiet. I think we both knew there'd come a time when a relationship with me could be toxic. It's been over half a year now since we last saw each other."

"But you're still together," Sirius prodded. "I mean, physically you may be apart, but in here," he placed a hand on Harry's heart, "there's no one closer."

Harry glanced towards him, his gaze heavy.

"That's lovely but it doesn't mean anything," he said flatly. "It doesn't matter that my love for Ginny never wavers, or that she remains waiting for me. If I never return that all ends the same as if I never lover her at all."

"But you will return," Sirius assured him. "That's what you're fighting for. Once the Arceus Plates have been collected and Voldemort's been vanquished you'll come back. And when you do it will be the most glorious thing you could possibly imagine."

Harry watched Sirius's impassioned speech without reaction, staring back with doubtful eyes even as Sirius strained to convince him.

Harry sighed.

"Sirius, let's be honest here," he spoke, his voice low. "I'm not going to survive this. A life after the war is not on the cards for me. I'm just running on luck to keep ahead of my fate and hope that I can hold on long enough so that when my time comes I can bring Voldemort down with me. My life and future with Ginny, in a time when the world is free and the birds are able to sing, is nothing more than a dream, to keep me going to do my job." He bowed his head.

As Harry was speaking Sirius had begun to shake his head and from the moment Harry finished Sirius was ready with his response.

"Harry," he said, his voice firm but with a hint of desperation as he faced him, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "I do not believe for even a moment that your destiny is to die."

"How do you know you're not wrong?" Harry challenged. "Prophecy has dictated my entire life, how can you not just assume I will have a tragic death?"

"Because I will not allow it," Sirius told him. "You may see yourself as a pawn in a giant game of chess but to me you are my godson, a boy, nay a man, who is at once more good, and more broken, than any person has the right to be."

"And I will not rest in my mission to keep you safe," Sirius pressed on. "You may be resigned to sacrificing yourself to save the world but I will sooner die than let that happen."

"Don't," Harry pleaded.

"I have no plans for dying anytime soon," Sirius promised. "And neither should you. You have a task, a mission, a destiny, that is at once unfair and yet could not be left in better hands. It may seem impossible, you will have to give your all, but that does not mean you have to give your life. For while your mission is to kill Voldemort my mission is to keep you alive. And I will make sure you have that future."

"You promise?" Harry asked, his voice sounding almost childlike as he looked up at Sirius for guidance.

"Cross my heart," Sirius promised. And that was all Harry needed.

A great weight seemed to lift off him, a weight he hadn't even noticed had been suffocating him for far too long, and he let out a blessed breath as perspective returned to him. He let out a smile and Sirius, grinning in response, gave his shoulder a gentle shake and released him once more.

Hurried footsteps caught their attention.

"Guys!" Ron called out before Harry or Sirius could worry about the possibility of intruders, hurrying into view and pulling back his layers, Hermione following in behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Harry wondered, standing up.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a date?" Added Sirius, his expression concerned as he too rose to his feet.

Ron waved away their concerns. He looked anxious.

"Hermione," he said, gesturing to the pale faced girl, and Hermione stepped forward, holding out a pamphlet which Harry hesitantly accepted, looking over it in confusion.

"Look at the back," Ron instructed and Harry turned it over.

He blinked, then became very still.

"Harry?" Sirius asked, looking worried. Harry didn't respond. He merely held the pamphlet up for Sirius to see, for it more than spoke for itself.

On the back of the pamphlet was a picture. A picture of a bright pink Arceus Plate.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up. Just so you know it won't be an issue going forward.

If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	19. Undercover Operation

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

No one said anything for a while. Harry and Sirius were shellshocked and, from the looks of things, Ron and Hermione were still working through it themselves. With his eyes on the leaflet Harry turned to them.

"Where did you find this?" He asked, his voice faint.

"We stopped at a convenience store in the nearby town to get some…" Hermione stopped, blushing. "Never mind, but what's important is that we found this pamphlet by the counter. We wouldn't have looked twice but someone had clearly placed it in the wrong way round and we couldn't help but notice."

"Apparently the Pixie Plate - that's what that is - is being displayed in a museum in the Pokémon sector of Leeds," Ron explained. "It's somewhat light on details but from the sounds of it someone discovered the Plate and did the hard work for us. It's on tour now in museums across Britain. This is the last stop before it returns to London."

"How long will it be in Leeds?" Sirius asked. "The security there will be a lot easier to deal with than at the National Museum of Pokémon Artefacts in London. The NMPA is almost as difficult to steal from as Gringotts."

"The last day it's on display is February 21st," Hermione told them.

"So that gives us a week," said Ron. "One week to steal it."

"And if we don't manage by then at least we'll know where it's going," Harry murmured. He trusted Sirius's judgement in the fact that they'd have a better shot at the Plate in Leeds than in London but if that wasn't an option then they would have no other choice.

"That's true, certainly, but I feel like there's another issue we need to address, beyond simply plans for the Plate," Hermione spoke. Everyone turned to her. "If we were able to find out about where the Plate is then surely Voldemort can do the same."

"And he could steal it back," said Ron, cottoning on. "And if we are able to get there first then he's going to know we're after them, and there's still plenty more to find."

"Yes, but what are the chances that he'll ever find out," Sirius challenged carelessly. "You think he's got time to check out the museum scene. No, he won't find out about this, not unless someone else tells him. And what Death Eater do you reckon even realises the significance of the Plates, much less has the guts to bring it up with the Dark Lord."

"Sirius has a point," Harry mused. "Voldemort probably won't have heard anything. But if we take it that would be another matter altogether. The sort of story that would bring would certainly catch his attention. And that would be a disaster." Harry fell silent.

"What are you thinking?" Ron wondered, watching Harry closely. Harry bit his lip.

"I think," he said slowly, "I think we need to create some sort of decoy. We need to be able to replace the Plate with a replica so convincing that even the curators will be fooled. And we need to do this in a way such that no one will ever find out."

"Then there's no time to waste," Hermione said firmly. "We've got one week, we need to come up with a plan."

"Yes, we'll do that," Harry agreed. "Tomorrow." Ron and Hermione looked at him.

"Harry?"

"This is your day off," Harry told them, his expression calm but his words firm. "The two of you should get away from here, enjoy yourselves, and then tomorrow we'll begin preparations for retrieving the Plate."

Ron and Hermione looked somewhat reluctant to yield but also immensely grateful. They wanted to press on, to make progress on their mission, especially now when they had a clear goal in sight, but they also needed their time on their own, away from the Spooky Plate.

And so they didn't complain, merely thanking Harry and saying goodbye once more, leaving the leaflet behind as they left the campsite.

Once they were gone Sirius sent Harry a look. Harry shrugged.

"It was only right," he said dismissively. "They deserve it."

Sirius smiled.

* * *

Preparations for retrieving the Pixie Plate began in earnest the next day when Ron and Hermione returned to the campsite. It started even before then, in fact, as Harry and Sirius did not want to wait around, knowing that time was of the essence and that every passing second of inactivity was a second wasted.

Their replacement for the Pixie Plate took up a lot of their early focus, being such a crucial part for the success or otherwise of their mission. Harry and Sirius spent much of that first day searching for an appropriate stone they could use as a decoy and, once they found it, it became the job of Gallade, utilising his bladed arms with surgical precision, to whittle the stone down to the perfect size and shape to match the others.

With a slab of stone with the same dimensions as an Arceus Plate at hand all that was needed was to apply a coat of paint, provided by Hermione, who had gone against Harry's wishes and had picked it out on her supposed day off. She applied the paint, several layers of it, and let it dry before beginning work on the spiderweb of black lines that would no doubt be present on the Plate itself.

With that done, the paint drying by the warmth of Torkoal's flames, attention turned to the rest of their plan.

"We need to move with stealth," Ron told them as they gathered round to discuss their options that evening. "If there is any indication that something is off security will get suspicious and we risk them realising that we've made the switch."

"Needless to say the retrieval itself will have to be conducted outside normal business hours," Hermione continued from him. "We don't know what security they have but we can be sure that there will be security cameras at the very least, indeed that should be our primary focus. We need to know where the cameras feed to so we can disable them at the source for the time that we need, which means someone needs to scout out beforehand."

"Which is where we run into a bit of a problem," said Ron. "None of us can go to a place with loads of Pokémon trainers and expect not to be recognised. And if someone realised who we were we'd be forced to either abandon the Plate or grab it and go, and somehow hope Voldemort doesn't hear about what happened."

"Unlikely, so that's not an option," Harry said quietly. "If we're spotted we'll have to leave and just hope they don't realise what we were there to do. If Voldemort knows what we're going after the game is up. We're not finding those Plates again."

Sirius licked his lips thoughtfully.

"What if I go?" He suggested. "I'm supposed to be dead, anyone who thinks they recognise me will probably just shrug it off."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"It could work," Ron said cautiously. "If we give him a bit of a disguise… no one is looking for Sirius Black."

"But they would recognise him," Hermione pointed out. "His picture was all over the papers a few years ago."

"It'd have to be a good disguise," Harry agreed. "One where not even his own mother would be able to recognise him." Harry turned to examine Sirius closely. "And I think I know how."

Sirius gulped.

* * *

Sirius Black was proud of many things; His Pokémon, and his friends, the ones who stayed loyal at least, as well as his open rebellion against his family's values. And one of the things that ranked quite highly, high enough for his friends to mock him mercilessly for back in school, was the attention he paid to his appearance, in particularly his hair.

His style had changed over the years and one of the newer editions, the glorious hair that sat on his face, was the first to go. With Sirius clean shaven it was Hermione's task to take a pair of scissors to his full head of hair and begin hacking away at it.

"Oh, dear," Sirius murmured, examining his reflection in the mirror Hermione had handed him. "What has she done to you?"

Sirius has barely recognisable. With his face shaved his head almost appeared smaller and the effect of cutting his hair made him look that much older, his grey hairs showing more prominently without the protection of his luscious curtains.

"I don't think I've ever had my hair this short," Sirius commented, examining his reflection more closely. "Not since it first grew past this length, I'd say. I look like my dad."

"Well, you don't look like you," Harry told him, his expression serious. "And that's the point. No one will know who you are and if anyone asks you've memorised your cover story."

"I am Gerald Longbeard-White, eccentric artefact collector with a special interest in the occult," Sirius recited. He grinned. "I have a number of disturbing facts about Spiritomb to share with the unlucky soul who dares to challenge me."

"And you're pretty married to the name?" Ron quizzed. "Even the 'Longbeard'?"

"I will honour my flowing locks no matter what."

"I think the name will be fine," Hermione spoke up, stepping in as Ron rolled his eyes. "What we need to focus on now is how we're going to do this. The 21st is three days from now and assuming that the Plate is likely to be transported on the night of the 21st that realistically only gives us two days."

"Tomorrow Sirius will go to the museum under the cover of Gerald," Harry told them. "While he's there he'll get the location of the Plate and do what he can to figure out what security they have in place."

"And check to see if it really is the Pixie Plate they have there," added Ron. "If it's not then we're really just wasting our time."

"It better be," Sirius growled. "I didn't lose my hair for nothing." He relaxed. "I'll take our decoy in to check. Make sure it's an appropriate replacement too."

"Okay, but remember not to overreach," Harry warned. "You don't want to blow your cover or risk getting caught. Your job is to scout, and nothing more. Once you're back here we'll reconvene and figure out how we're going to do this."

* * *

They called it a night, nothing more needing to be discussed, but despite that it took a long time before anyone fell asleep. It was a weird sensation, knowing they were so close to going after a Plate. So far they had only found out minutes before, hours at most, and now they were putting a plan into action that was nearly a week in the making. And Harry couldn't help but worry that something would go wrong.

That worry persisted into the next day as Sirius prepared to make his trip in to Leeds. Gallade would be teleporting him close to the Pokémon sector of Leeds, somewhere Sirius promised he knew his way around, and the Pokémon stood patiently by his trainer's side as an anxious Hermione gave Sirius some last minute instruction.

"Okay, I've got it," Sirius said abruptly, cutting Hermione short as she threatened to ramble on out of control. He waved to the others. "See you later." And he and Gallade disappeared.

The clearing they'd made camp in was silent.

"So," Ron spoke up, giving a small grimace. "Now we wait."

It would be hours before Sirius was set to return but that didn't make the wait any easier. Knowing that Sirius could have been caught, recognised and captured by someone not fooled by their attempts to disguise him, and that they would have absolutely no way of knowing, made the time crawl by.

"He should have been back by now," Harry murmured, feeling antsy. Darkness had fallen but still Sirius had not returned.

"Harry, relax, there's no reason to worry yet," said Ron, even as he shifted uncomfortably. "Sirius has to stay after closing time to get an idea of the security when everyone has left, he's still got plenty of time before we need to be getting concerned about him."

And though that was true Harry could not wait. He needed Sirius to be back.

And as if in answer to his internal prayers Sirius and Gallade appeared in the middle of the campsite, smiling broadly.

"One Pixie Plate, as requested," he grinned, and he pulled out a pink covered Plate from underneath his jacket.

There was a moment's silence.

"What?!" Harry exclaimed loudly.

"You got it?" Said Ron, scrambling to his feet with his eyes wide in a mixture of excitement and shock. "That's really the Pixie Plate?"

"Sirius," Hermione scolded. "You weren't supposed to extract the Plate, that wasn't the plan. You were supposed to do reconnaissance only."

"I did," said Sirius and he tossed the Pixie Plate towards her, causing Hermione to fumble to catch it. "I checked out their security and, as it turns out, it was shit. So I decided there was no point leaving and coming back the next day so I just made the switch myself. Easy."

But Harry was on Hermione's side.

"That wasn't the plan, Sirius," he told him, shaking angrily. "This is dangerous enough as it is, we can't have you going off and doing something we haven't agreed on."

"It was just sitting there, Harry," Sirius protested, looking a bit put out by the reception he was getting. "I wasn't taking a risk, not really."

"Yes, you were," Harry told him, his voice rising. "And it's not new. You keep on not taking things seriously enough and if you keep doing that then it'll only wind up getting you in trouble. It nearly killed you two years ago. Please, don't do that to me again."

There was silence at Harry's outburst. Ron and Hermione watched on quietly, knowing not to get involved as this was no longer about them. Sirius's expression sobered.

"You're right," he said, and his words were spoken with a haunted tone that reminded everyone of what he'd been through to come back. "I have been reckless, I've always been, and I was again today. I should know better by now not to take risks, not when they're not necessary. I'm not going to let my mistakes break us apart again."

Harry nodded slightly, his anger fading as he dropped his gaze, feeling exhaustion wash over him as all the stress of the day made itself known. He sighed.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to be so hard on you. I just don't want to lose you again. After everything we talked about, I don't think I can."

"You won't," Sirius promised. "I'm here until the very end."

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter.

To the guest reviewer: I really like that idea, that would be crazy. Unfortunately you're right, the plot is pretty set in stone by this point, but I like the suggestion anyway.

If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	20. The Moor

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Despite Sirius's assurances Harry still worried about him doing something rash, something that he would regret, if it didn't kill him, that is. It wasn't so much a concern that Sirius might decide to lone wolf it, like he'd done with the Pixie Plate, but rather a worry and a firm knowledge that if Harry was in danger Sirius would not hesitate to throw himself into harm's way. And when they did find the next Plate Harry would most certainly be in danger.

Speaking of the Pixie Plate, the Plate dedicated to the fairy typing that some unknown adventurer had somehow stumbled across, it had fitted in rather well with the others. With three Plates in their possession and only another three still to go morale was high within the group and Harry had begun to suspect that the Pixie Plate might have something to do with it. There were no obvious effects of them having the Pixie Plate in their midst but Harry couldn't help but notice that the negative effects of the Spooky Plate appeared to be waning. The dark influence that had been infecting them seemed to have disappeared, the atmosphere around the camp lighter and more carefree.

But there were some locations that didn't need the Spooky Plate to seem formidable.

"Man, look at this place," Ron murmured as they stood upon a hill overlooking the misty moor before them. "It's like a scene out of a movie."

"Well, it might well be," Hermione informed him, walking forward as she moved to inspect the area with her usual professional demeanour. "It is said that this is the place that inspired 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'."

"The Hound of what?" Said Ron, staring blankly after her. "What are they, a heavy metal band?" Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

Hermione looked severely disappointed.

"You've never heard of it?" She asked, her voice rising in surprise. "Sherlock Holmes? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?"

"Who are these people?" Ron asked, bewildered. Hermione almost looked like she was about to cry.

"Arthur Conan Doyle was a writer," Harry explained quickly to Ron, thinking back to his few memories from Privet Drive before he had joined the Pokémon world. "His books were about a brilliant detective called Sherlock Holmes who solved mysteries. One of them was called 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'."

Comprehension dawned on Ron's face as he started to put together why Hermione seemed so annoyed with him. Hermione, meanwhile, positively beamed at Harry.

"Thank you," she said in a tone of frustrated gratitude. "I'm glad at least one of you knows what I'm talking about. How do you not know who Sherlock Holmes is?"

Ron just shrugged.

"Muggle literary works are a bit of a niche market in the Pokémon world," Sirius spoke up, stepping in to Ron's aid. "Among Pokémon families I think I was one of the few to have ever read them."

"You did?" Harry asked, surprised. "I'd have thought your parents wouldn't have let you read muggle novels."

"Father was a fan," Sirius told him with a hint of mirth. "Orion Black loved a good detective story and when Sherlock Holmes became popular he excused himself for enjoying it by claiming the books were originally set with Pokémon in mind, but that they had been altered to appease muggle readers."

"Really?" Harry asked, somewhat impressed by the level of denial the late Mr Black had managed despite himself.

"Oh yeah," said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "The number of times he ranted on the subject, complaining about muggles trying to wipe out Pokémon culture… You know his theory was that the Hound of the Baskervilles was actually a Houndoom in the original version."

"Beats me why anyone would change that," said Ron. "If that had been the story I'd definitely have read it."

Hermione huffed loudly, turning on the spot and marching out across the moor. Sirius chuckled.

"I guess we're going, then," he called loudly after her with a grin, jogging after Hermione as she stormed away, leaving Harry and Ron to follow behind him.

Ron sidled up silently next to Harry.

"So, this Sherlock Holmes thing," he said quietly, keeping an eye on the figure of his girlfriend up ahead, bantering back and forth with Sirius as she walked. "What was the author's name? Arthur Con whatever?"

"Arthur Conan Doyle," Harry corrected. "And don't repeat 'Arthur Con whatever' anywhere near Hermione."

"Not a chance," Ron agreed, giving a grim look as he looked out on ahead. He turned back to Harry. "But these books, they're good, right? I'm just thinking I might like to get one of them for Hermione. A small one, obviously, that she can carry around with her. I assume they aren't like some of Hermione's textbooks." Ron hesitated. "It's our one year anniversary coming up."

Harry remained silent for a moment, aware of Ron watching him as they walked across the moor, thinking.

"She probably already has all the books," he said eventually, turning to his friend. Ron deflated.

"I was afraid of that," he said dispiritedly. "It's always so hard to get a book for Hermione, she has so many of them."

"Sherlock Holmes is very popular in the muggle world," Harry informed him. "It's one of those things that just everyone knows, like Lord of the Rings or James Bond. You'd have more luck with something like… I don't know. I don't really keep up with stuff like that anymore. I've never even read Sherlock Holmes."

Ron let out a frustrated sigh, looking down to the ground in annoyance as he fell silent once more.

Harry glanced at him.

"You know, you could still get her a book," he told him. "A Sherlock Holmes book, that is." Ron looked at him, squinting in confusion.

"You could get her 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'," Harry suggested.

"But you said she already had it," Ron pointed out, shaking his head.

"Probably," Harry admitted. "But I'm sure she'd love getting a copy from you, even if she already has one. You could write a note in the front cover."

Ron looked thoughtful.

"You sure she'd like that?" He asked. Harry nodded. "Okay. Okay, great. Now I just need to figure out what to write."

"And find somewhere to get the book," Harry added. Ron shrugged.

"If it's as popular as you say it is then I'm sure I'll manage," he said easily, more relaxed now he had a plan. He came to a stop. "Hey, what's going on?"

Hermione and Sirius had come to a halt ahead of them, seemingly at random in the middle of the moor, but while Sirius looked confused - and somewhat amused - Hermione was turning rapidly on the spot, gazing out purposefully into the distance.

She turned to them.

"You didn't notice?" She gasped. Harry and Ron looked at each other, nonplussed. "Look behind you." They did.

"Blimey, we've walked a long way," Ron commented in surprise. "I guess we weren't really paying attention." Harry, meanwhile, frowned. What was Hermione so worried about?

"Yes," Hermione said sharply, drawing their attention once more. "We have. A long way."

There was a pause.

"Where are you going with this?" Harry asked eventually as Hermione continued to stay quiet. The bushy haired girl huffed.

"We've gone too far," she complained. Harry frowned. "You might not have been paying attention while we walked, but I was. We shouldn't have made it this far across the moor. It's impossible."

Harry, Ron and Sirius shared a look.

"Are you sure about this?" Sirius asked doubtfully, his tone reflecting the thoughts of the others. "I mean, it is a long way but saying something's up is a bit of a stretch."

Hermione shook her head insistently.

"I was paying attention, far more than any of you," she told them. "I know what I'm talking about." And she pulled out Dumbledore's journal, holding it up for them all to see.

"This land is owned by a man called Henry Blackwood. He lives in London and never visits, and on the one occasion he did visit he came back complaining that the land was smaller than it had been described. In fact, he was so certain of his claim that he contacted the police, believing he'd been stiffed."

"And they told him to 'bugger off'?" Ron guessed.

"They investigated and found nothing amiss," Hermione told them. "But they didn't charge Blackwood for wasting police time. On the record of the complaint they made a note that, despite everything being as described, the land certainly felt smaller than its dimensions."

She looked at them expectantly.

"What are you thinking?" Harry wondered. He was still unsure about this, it all seemed a little flaky, but Hermione was convinced and so Harry was more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, it's like you said, Harry," Hermione told him. "A psychic shield."

Harry blinked.

"When did I say that?" He wondered.

"Back when we found the Spooky Plate, remember?" Hermione told him. "Or maybe that was Ron, I don't know, but one of you certainly suggested that the forest could have been under a psychic shield to protect the Spooky Plate. Well, I think there's one here now."

Harry turned on the spot. The moor around him remained silent.

"Where were you thinking?" He asked, his voice low as he looked around. With the thought of there being a psychic shield hiding somewhere nearby Harry rose on high alert.

Hermione dug into her bag, pulling out a map which she quickly consulted, Harry, Ron and Sirius watching on silently as she turned the paper over in her hands, chewing her lip and glancing periodically across the moor.

Eventually she straightened up, turning very deliberately to face out into the night.

"Over there," she said, pointing straight ahead. There was nothing to see, of course. If there was a psychic shield in place then it would be hiding their goal from them.

Harry and Ron shared a glance. Ron shrugged.

"So, what now?" He asked, turning back to Hermione. "If there is an illusion there we'll have to break it, how do we do that?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted hesitantly. "There must be a way, surely."

"Anything that removes screens and barriers should theoretically work," Sirius told them. "They work on the exact same power and logic, though I've never tried it. Brick Break should bring it down."

That made sense to Harry, and to Ron too as he stepped forward deliberately, rolling up his sleeves and pulling a Pokéball from his belt.

"Alright, I got this," he said confidently, stepping up alongside Hermione and staring into the space before her. "Machamp, use Brick Break."

The muscled, four armed fighting type appeared before him. He stood still, confused by the command, as he looked out at the obvious lack of target before him, and he glanced back uncertainly at his trainer.

Ron urged him onwards, gesturing towards the open space before him, and Machamp turned back to it without much of a choice. He took an awkward few steps forward, glancing nervously around as the humans watched on, before he came to a stop.

He raised a fist into the air.

All of a sudden Machamp was flung backwards, caught in the motion of his attack as he was propelled through the air by an unseen force, flying past the group of humans standing behind him to land with a thump on the ground.

There was a moment's silence.

"Machamp?" Ron murmured, eyes wide as he looked after his Pokémon.

And as he spoke the others snapped to attention.

"We're under attack!" Sirius barked, turning to face the direction Machamp had been thrown from as automatically the other three closed ranks behind him. "Blissey, Protect!"

Sirius's newest partner appeared before them just as a blast shot through the air, crashing into Blissey's instinctively erected shield with a thunderous crash, flashing with an array of dazzling lights.

As the attack ended everything fell still once more. Harry, Hermione, Sirius and Ron, Machamp quietly returned to his Pokéball, stood unmoving behind Blissey's protective shield, gazing out into the empty space that lay before them.

Seconds ticked by. No further attacks followed.

"Was that it?" Ron whispered, his voice doubtful as he looked out over Hermione's head from the back of the group. "Did it just… stop attacking?"

The group shifted uncomfortably.

"They'll be planning something," Sirius growled, his attention on high alert as his eyes flickered over the darkness. "They've got the advantage. So long as we can't see them we can't attack. They can be patient."

"And who are they, exactly?" Hermione wondered. "Psychic types for sure, given the attack on Machamp and the shield… but are we talking about just one Pokémon? Or are we talking about an army?"

"Either way they're powerful," Ron murmured, shifting uncertainly as he glanced around into the darkness. "Machamp was dazed by that attack, it was one hell of a hit. And if we're going to break down that shield then we'll need him healthy."

"So we'll have to take down the Pokémon first," Harry concluded. The thought didn't fill him with hope.

Hermione was thinking. She rubbed her fingers together distractedly, staring out into space, before she turned, looking to say something to the others.

Her eyes widened.

"Get down!" She cried and she yanked Ron to the ground with her just in time as a bolt of energy sheered through the space they had just been standing in, attacking from their unprotected rear.

Harry wheeled round.

"Umbreon, Protect!" He cried and the dark type appeared before him, just in time to deflect a second attack as the four trainers bunched even closer together.

"Meowstic," Hermione called as she and Ron clambered back to their feet, her psychic Pokémon appearing before her.

Together Umbreon, Meowstic and Blissey protected them from all angles, shields raised to deflect any attack, but again no attack came.

The moor had gone quiet once more.

Harry took in a steady breath.

"Okay," he said, looking out across the moor with attentive eyes. He licked his lips, nerves jangling. "We need a plan."

"We're surrounded," Ron murmured, eyes similarly peeled as he crouched, as though worried he'd be too tall for the shields that surrounded them. "Either that or the Pokémon attacking can move around unseen, although that seems to be more of a ghost type ability. Surely a psychic type would only be hidden inside the shield."

There was a brief silence as the four trainers realised the truth together.

"We're there," Sirius murmured, his voice reflecting his disbelief. "We're not standing next to the shield. We're standing exactly where we need to be. The shield is around us."

Harry's pulse quickened, both with fear but also excitement.

"That means we're right next to the Arceus Plate," Hermione gasped. She looked at the group. "I mean, I'm sure we're all in agreement there's one here."

As one Harry, Ron and Sirius nodded. The psychic type Arceus Plate, the Mind Plate, was nearby. It just had to be.

There was no other explanation.

"Meowstic can feel it," Hermione whispered, her voice nearly silent. Meowstic's form was quivering where it stood, his ears raised and ready to attack.

Again silence fell over them.

Ron cursed. "What are they waiting for?" He muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "We've figured it out, so why aren't they attacking?"

Harry wondered that too. They were hunkered into their position, an attack could come from any direction and it would be deflected by their shields, unless it was strong enough. Surely the attacker had figured that out. What was it doing? Was it just waiting for them to leave?

"Last time they waited to take advantage of our weakness," Hermione murmured, clearly thinking along the same lines as Harry. "Surely if they haven't attacked they must be coming up with something else."

But they were protected. Between Umbreon, Blissey and Meowstic's overlapping shields they were protected from all angles they could be attacked from, and surely the only course of action would be to try and overpower their shields. They had no weak point.

Then Harry's eyes widened. He looked up into the sky.

"Incoming!" He shouted and he threw himself backwards, landing by Umbreon's side and pulling Hermione with him as from above a fierce gale hurtled down.

The Ominous Wind whipped around them, battering against the shield that Umbreon now moved to surround himself with, Hermione and Harry taking shelter by his side as Sirius moved close to Blissey and Ron dove to Meowstic.

Split up Harry could no longer see the others, even though they could be no more than a few feet away, as the attack continued to hammer down on the shields. Umbreon was holding strong, his shield withstanding the blow, but it was beginning to take its toll and if nothing changed then it would inevitably fail.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted, raising his voice over the thundering of the attack on Umbreon's shield. Hermione turned to him, her eyes wide. "We need to fight back!" He shouted, looking up into the sky and trying to see where the attack was coming from. "Will Foresight show them?!"

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Noctowl, go!" She shouted and Noctowl burst from his Pokéball, soaring free and through the Ominous Wind unaffected as he instinctively flew towards the source of the attack. "Use Foresight!"

Like headlights a beam shone from Noctowl's eyes, piercing through the ghostly attack with devastating precision as it honed in on the source. Harry, squinting against what remained of the Ominous Wind, looked up.

A Sigilyph flew above them.

"Noctowl, come back!" Hermione instructed quickly as an Air Slash from Sigilyph nearly struck him.

Harry took hold of a Pokéball.

"Charizard!" He cried, releasing his faithful friend in a beam of red light. "Flare Blitz!"

As Noctowl descended to ground level Charizard went the other way, his body becoming engulfed in a shroud of fiery flames as he roared his way towards his target.

A blast of energy shot through the air from the moor below, striking Charizard fiercely, knocking him off course as he flew and forcing him to miss his target. Pulling up he roared with pain and rage.

Harry turned.

"Noctowl, Foresight again!" Hermione called out, pointing to where the attack on Charizard had come from, and Noctowl's tractor beams snapped to attention, piercing through the air with intent to reveal the aggressor.

But there was nothing there. The Pokémon that had fired the attack had already moved.

And now a lot more attacks were coming their way. It seemed that it was open season now they'd proven they had a way to reveal them and attacks flew in from all directions to thunder into their shields as the four trainers sheltered behind them.

But Harry was more concerned for Charizard. Out in the open and unable to see most of his attackers Charizard was a sitting duck. Harry had no choice but to either call him back and continue to hunker down behind Umbreon's shield, or to leave Charizard to fend for himself.

Of course there was an option number three.

"We can't keep up our defences!" Ron's voice shouted from where he crouched next to Meowstic. "Under this sort of pressure we'll fold soon enough!"

"Then we must attack!" Harry shouted back and his expression was serious. "Let's see how they like it!"

The others looked at him. As one they nodded.

"Mightyena, go!" Sirius shouted, his dark type Pokémon bounding from behind Blissey's shield with a snarl as psychic blasts splashed uselessly against him. "Attack everything and everywhere! Don't let up!"

"Go, Absol!" Hermione called, the dark type appearing next to her on the ground. "Fire at will!"

"Greninja!" Harry shouted. The Pokémon appeared before him in a crouch, eyes surveying the landscape. "Let them have it!"

* * *

**A/N:** That's all for now. Next chapter we'll pick up with the battle and find out whether Harry and the gang successfully retrieve the Arceus Plate.

In other news, earlier today I put out another story that you might be interested in if you've played the mobile game 'Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery'. It's just a bit of fun I came up with on the spur of a moment joke so hopefully it can give you a few laughs.

Anyway, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	21. Unexpected Help

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The battle was chaos. With no idea where their opponents were other than the clues left by the blasts of attacks flying from seemingly random spots of the moor the Pokémon threw themselves into battle with reckless abandon, snapping and snarling and firing attacks all over in the sheer hope that something would connect.

With the psychic attacks splashing uselessly against them soon the attacks started to change. Blasts of fire and ice joined the fray, forcing the Pokémon to defend just as much as attack, and soon enough Harry and the others realised that they needed help.

Up above Sirius's Aerodactyl took flight, taking on the matchup with Sigilyph, the one Pokémon that was no longer able to hide after exposure to Noctowl's Foresight. Arcanine too joined the fray, firing blasts of fire in every direction as Charizard did the very same from up above, and from the centre of their group Mismagius took up her position, firing attacks outwards in every direction.

And through all this Noctowl continued to swivel his head into the darkness, his Foresight moving like a spotlight as it tried to catch the Pokémon attacking them.

"There!" Hermione cried excitedly, pointing through the air as one Pokémon proved too slow to avoid Noctowl's gaze. "A Jynx!"

"Go Arcanine!" Ron encouraged, his faithful dog Pokémon bounding across the moor to face the now revealed threat, even as attacks rained down on him from other, yet unseen Pokemon.

Many Pokémon remained hidden.

Ron turned to Harry.

"This isn't working!" He shouted over the sounds of explosions and Arcanine's yelp as one psychic blast caught his hindquarters. "We can't keep this up! We're going to run out of steam long before we reveal all the Pokémon attacking us! We don't even know how many there are!"

"We can't give up!" Harry shouted in return. A scorch of fire flew between them, causing them to flinch back from the heat even protected as they were. "We can't just leave the Mind Plate!"

"We can come back later!" Sirius roared, turning towards them as Mightyena bounded around in the background. "We're under the cosh, we can't face them now! We need a plan!"

A loud howl sounded behind his back and a pained look crossed Sirius's face. He looked out over the moor to see Mightyena collapsed in a heap. "Mightyena, return!"

Harry hesitated. He looked out at the moor around him.

So far Mightyena was the only Pokémon to have fallen, but it was only a matter of time for many. Greninja was noticeably tiring, moving slower, a few passing blows clipping him as he leapt randomly throughout the moor. Absol was already retreating, looking just about ready to collapse as he hurried back to the safety of Umbreon's shield.

But even that wasn't true safety. The shields of Umbreon, Meowstic and Blissey had remained strong throughout the battle, but the Pokémon keeping them up were noticeable exhausted. From where Harry crouched, protected by Umbreon's shield, he could see the faint shaking of Umbreon's limbs as he stood stoic before him.

They were losing. Even though there were more Pokémon they could call on it was clear they were fighting an uphill battle, and had their opponents been Death Eaters, like with their run in with Fenrir Greyback, Harry would have suggested a retreat long ago.

Gently Hermione tugged on his sleeve.

"The Plate will still be here when we come back," she assured him quietly. "It isn't going anywhere. We'll have another chance."

And with that Harry made up his mind.

"Charizard!" He called, getting the fire type's attention as he gesticulated from the ground. Even Charizard was looking exhausted, though he continued to fight with the same ferocity as always, and despite his unshakeable determination there was a grateful look in his eye as he realised what Harry was doing.

Harry turned to the others.

"We're going to make a break for it!" He shouted, feeling slightly sick even at the thought of giving up on the Plate but knowing this was the right course of action. "We'll recover and make another attempt later but right now we need to leave! Sirius, get Aerodactyl down here! Ron, Hermione, get Pig and Flygon ready!"

The others looked relieved by his decision, Sirius gesticulating to Aerodactyl and Ron and Hermione shifting to grab their respective rides' Pokéballs.

Noctowl, however, was still in full battle mode, and as his head twisted, the light from his eyes shining inches past Harry's head, Harry on instinct turned to look.

A Claydol was illuminated under Noctowl's gaze, slowly rotating on the spot, the movement almost hypnotic, and as Harry watched it steadily began to pick up the pace. The ground beneath it began to rumble.

Harry's eyes widened.

"Everyone, get down!" He shouted in alarm, folding into a tight crouch next to Umbreon as the mud and dirt around Claydol's form began to churn. The surrounding Pokémon backed away in alarm, Greninja leaping out across the moor and Arcanine running off with his tail between his legs as the storm began to spread.

Up above Charizard and Aerodactyl, wary eyes observing the attack below, rose higher into the air to safety. Ron, Hermione and Sirius crouched behind their shields.

The Sandstorm filled with mud and grime slapped into Umbreon's shield violently, blocking out the world around them as Umbreon strained against the strength of the attack. Harry had no idea how Sirius and Ron were doing, could only hope that their shields remained standing too, as the little light of the evening was blocked out by the mud that swirled around them.

A roar echoed through the air, so loud that they could hear it even through the raging storm around them, and suddenly another wind started to pick up. A fierce gale blew against the Sandstorm, piling on even more pressure on the shields as Umbreon strained painfully to keep it up, but as it went the dirt and mud flying around them was pushed back, revealing the night air once more.

Flying above them, flapping its wings furiously to blow back Claydol's attack, silver armour shimmering in the light of its flaming tail, was Charizard.

Except it wasn't Harry's Charizard.

And it was not alone. As Claydol's attack was pushed back a majestic Rapidash leapt over the group, flames dancing as it descended upon the attacking Pokémon. The ground between the three shields rumbled and another Pokémon burst through, a Typhlosion appearing suddenly in their midst, whilst elsewhere a Stantler and Sawsbuck moved to surround them, facing outwards.

Looking up in surprise Harry's gaze fell upon Sirius. He was in shock. Staring at the Typhlosion that stood before him with wide eyes, his expression struck dumb, he looked completely unable to move.

"No," he breathed, looking as though he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. "It can't be."

Harry had no idea what Sirius was talking about and for the moment he didn't care. He didn't know where these Pokémon had come from or why they had come to their aid but since they seemed to be on their side he could worry about that later.

He pulled himself up.

"Come on!" He roared, feeling new life at the unexpected help. "We can do this! This is our chance!" Ron and Hermione scrambled to their feet too. "All out attack!"

More Pokémon came out. Ron called upon his Blastoise, the water Pokémon joining Sawsbuck standing before him as Arcanine leapt back to their side. Hermione urged Mismagius onwards, the ghost Pokémon having sheltered beneath Meowstic's shield, and called Buizel out too, the Pokémon taking positions by Stantler, as Greninja and Absol joined Rapidash in attack and Aerodactyl flew above them all.

Harry turned to Charizard, _his_ Charizard, and they locked gaze. He raised a hand to the Key Stone around his neck.

"Charizard!" He shouted, feeling the power already pulsing beneath his fingers. "Mega Evolve!"

Light spread from beneath his fingers, reaching up to snap together with the light streaming down from the Charizardite X on Charizard's back, and the two streams merged together as they had done so often before and Charizard began to change.

But he wasn't the only one. As the light from Harry's Key Stone reached up into the night it split in two, and while one beam did connect with Charizard's Mega Stone the other went somewhere else. Light spread from the other Charizard, streaming down from a Mega Stone in the armour on its back, and it connected with Harry's Key Stone with a violent snap.

Harry gasped in pain, grasping his head suddenly as a new presence made itself known, at once foreign yet familiar all at the same time. It sought him out, connecting to him just like Charizard was already, and falling to his knees Harry screwed up his eyes in agony.

Pain filling his head Harry focused on his puse, trying his hardest to block out the agony as he concentrated simply on breathing in, and breathing out. Breathing in, and breathing out.

As his mind began to clear his eyes opened once more. He looked up at the sky.

Mega Charizard X hovered above him, looking down in concern and ignoring the battle that raged around him, but so too did Mega Charizard Y. Harry stared up at it, struggling to understand what his brain was painstakingly pulling together as the other Charizard looked down on him. There was something in its gaze, something Harry couldn't describe, but it held him captive until Mega Charizard Y turned away.

He blasted flames at the ground below him.

Harry snapped back into action. He tried to rise quickly to his feet, becoming aware of the pitched battle once more, but a sudden throb of his head pulled him short, causing him to sink back down, head in his hands as he tried his best to ride out the pain.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked at the sound of Hermione's worried voice and he glanced sideways to see her kneeling beside him, her face white.

"I'm alright," Harry murmured, focusing on his breathing once more and forcing the pain back. He pulled himself upright. "How are we doing?"

Hermione looked anxious, as though she wanted to focus more on what was wrong with Harry, but the longer the pain lasted the less it seemed to hurt so Harry pressed forward. Hermione let the matter drop.

"We're doing better," she admitted, biting her lip with a grimace. "With reinforcements we're holding them off. But we're still under attack from opponents we can't see. If we don't start finding them then we're going to end up in the same position as we were before."

"I can try Machamp again," Ron offered, looking slightly queasy at the prospect. "With the Pokémon distracted this might be our only chance. All we need is one Brick Break."

They may not have another option.

"No need," murmured Sirius. Harry turned to him.

Sirius remained in the exact same position as he had been the moment reinforcements had arrived. He sat in Blissey's shadow, looking completely apathetic to the battle that raged all around him, and as three pairs of eyes turned to him all he did was move his gaze from where he'd been staring into thin air to the Stantler that stood nearby.

"Prongs," he murmured softly. Harry blinked. Stantler turned towards them. "Foresight."

The normal type Pokémon did not hesitate. It bent its antlered head to the ground, the antlers themselves beginning to glow with a pure white light, and a moment later the light burst from them. It shone out across the moor in the direction Stantler faced, spreading farther and wider than Noctowl could ever be capable of, and as it revealed what lay before them Hermione let out a gasp.

No more than twenty feet away sat a stone plinth, upon which lay a Plate of the palest pink.

The Mind Plate.

Harry blinked. Everything around them had gone suddenly quiet. The battle, it seemed, had stopped, no more attacks being fired down upon them, and as Harry took stock of the war zone the moor had become it seemed even their opponents had disappeared. Everything was silent.

The soft flap of wings drew Harry's attention again and he turned back to the Mind Plate.

Seven Pokémon stood in a line before them, standing resolute between them and the Mind Plate as almost a sort of guard. The Sigilyph they'd first discovered, that had attacked them from the sky, was fluttering in the air towards its place in the line, with the Claydol hovering to the left of it, at the very end, and a Delphox, holding a burning branch aloft like a wand, on the right. On the other end of the line stood a Mr Mime, perhaps the architect of the shield itself, standing next to Jynx, who in turn stood by a Meowstic, its pale fur speaking of its female gender, with its ears raised, ready to attack.

And in the very middle, the leader of the lot, stood an Alakazam.

They stayed there silently, not moving as they faced against the ones trying to steal their Plate, and soon enough it became clear that they were not about to attack. Not unless they were attacked first.

"What are they doing?" Ron wondered, keeping his voice low instinctively in an attempt to keep the Pokémon from hearing. But of course they could hear. "They're just standing there?"

"They must be planning something," Hermione said nervously, glancing around them as if preparing for an attack at any moment.

Harry thought different. Steadily, careful not to move too fast and cause his head to pound once more, he rose to his feet.

He addressed the Pokémon.

"You know why we're here," he spoke, his voice carrying over clearly to the psychic types. They did not respond. "You know what we want." And he stepped forward, walking past the defensive line of Pokémon to stand in full view before them.

"Harry," Hermione whispered desperately but, glancing back, Harry just shook his head.

"I'm okay," he murmured, his voice soft as he took in her pale, worried face. "I know what I'm doing." He turned back to the Pokémon.

"That Plate you're guarding, you know its power," he told them, focusing his gaze on the Alakazam standing in the middle. The psychic type stared back, unmoving, but Harry knew he was listening. "You can feel its effects, but you understand it too. You're smarter than other Pokémon, you know what it is."

The seven Pokémon lined up before him remained silent, unyielding, giving no clue as to what they were thinking.

Harry swallowed.

"It's tainted," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "That Plate you protect, it's been tainted. It is not what it is supposed to be. And I know how difficult it is to accept, but I know you know, that the Plate needs saving. The foul taint needs to be cleansed. The Plate is sick. It needs help."

Still the Pokémon remained still. Harry bit his lip.

"Ron," he said, turning to where his friend stood crouched behind him. "The Plates."

Hesitantly Ron dug into his bag, pulling out the Arceus Plates one by one, passing them over to Harry.

"Look," Harry told them, holding the Plates aloft and finally getting some form of reaction from the Pokémon. "The Spooky Plate," he held it up from the rest, "The Flame Plate," Delphox shifted uncomfortably, only to fall still under Alakazam's glare, "The Pixie Plate," Harry lowered them all and pointed to the pedestal that stood behind them, "and the Mind Plate. They're all the same, all sick. And all we want to do is to help them. Let us save them, please. Let us return them to Arceus so they might be restored to their former glory."

As Harry stood there, watching with hope that his impassioned plea would be able to convince them, Alakazam's gaze bored into him, as though the Pokémon was trying to read his mind. It was looking for any signs of falsehood, Harry knew, and he stared back evenly, trying his best to show just how sincere he was.

Alakazam's gaze left Harry, instead moving to sweep across the rest of the Pokémon by its side. One by one they locked gaze, seeming to hold silent conversations that the others were not privy too, and Harry waited patiently, holding his breath, as Alakazam's eyes finally finished moving across the line and returned to Harry's.

Ever so slightly Alakazam inclined its head.

And then they were gone.

Silence hummed across the moor as they stared upon the space where the psychic Pokémon had been. There had been no sound to mark their departure, if they truly were no longer there, and so it took a moment for those remaining to react.

"I think they've left," Sirius murmured softly, turning to allow his gaze to run over their still surroundings. "I think they're gone."

Harry agreed. Though just to be sure…

"Lucario," he called and the jackal Pokémon appeared before him, eyes sweeping his surroundings with practiced ease. He turned to Harry.

"Sense anything?" Harry asked, gesturing to the surroundings. Lucario glanced away, almost as if to double check, but shook his head. It seemed they were, truly, alone.

Together as a group, a large, battered, bruised, and altogether muddied gathering of people and Pokémon, they approached the pedestal upon which the Mind Plate sat. They surrounded it, each still glancing warily into their surroundings, before turning to the Plate.

"This is it, then?" Ron said, just the hint of a query in his voice as he stuffed the other Arceus Plates back into his bag. "Definitely the Mind Plate?"

Hermione's Meowstic approached the pedestal, eyes wide with wonder. Gently it reached out to touch the Plate.

"Definitely," Hermione murmured.

And with that Ron reached out and plucked it from its pedestal. He placed it into his bag with the other Plates and, as nothing continued to happen, he sighed.

The seven Pokémon that had defended the Plate had not returned. The Plate was their's.

And as Ron grinned at Hermione, opening the bag so she could see inside, Harry turned, a question on his lips that still remained unanswered.

The mysterious Pokémon that had come to their aid remained by their side. Drawing some confused looks from the others the Stantler, Rapidash, Sawsbuck and Typhlosion stood back quietly, though their eyes watched with interest. All the while Charizard, still Mega Evolved with the connection to Harry's Key Stone, hovered silently above them.

Harry turned to Sirius. The older man looked exhausted as he stared out over the strange Pokémon, though if Harry was right they weren't so strange to Sirius. He caught Harry's eye.

"I'm sure you've figured it out," he murmured, his voice rough as he looked to only just be keeping a rein of his emotions. "James's Pokémon. Stantler, Rapidash, Sawsbuck, Typhlosion and Charizard. I never thought I would see them again."

"What are they doing here?" Harry wondered. "How did they find us?"

For a moment Sirius looked uncertain, before he closed his eyes and let out a breath. He turned to Harry, his eyes now containing utmost certainty, and he pointed at Harry's chest. His Key Stone lay free upon it.

"That was James's Key Stone," he reminded him, shaking his head as though amazed that he'd forgotten. "I reckon Charizard sensed it. And of course they would come running." Sirius looked over the Pokémon once more, a sad smile on his face. "They did him proud."

A soft roar sounded through the night and the Pokémon's ears perked up. As one Stantler, Sawsbuck, Rapidash and Typhlosion looked to the sky where the call had come from and, with reluctance, they turned away.

"Wait!" Harry shouted, watching in dismay as the Pokémon, his father's Pokémon, began to leave, running and cantering across the torn up moor. "Don't leave! Come back!"

But the Pokémon were already disappearing into the night, and they did not stop.

Only Charizard responded. He turned his jagged head, still Mega Evolved, towards him, meeting his gaze from way up high, and a little something pulsed through Harry's Key Stone. He looked down at it in surprise, grasping it quickly in his hand, but as he turned back to the sky once more his father's Charizard, and the rest of the Pokémon, were gone.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's all for this chapter. Another Plate recovered.

If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	22. The Farmer

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The retrieval of the fourth Arceus Plate was something to celebrate, bringing them past the halfway point in their journey with just two more left to find, but it was marred by the questions that the emergence of James Potter's Pokémon had brought about. Why they had left, when they had just moments ago saved them from being buried under a wave of mud and dirt, and had met Harry for the first time since he was a baby, was a mystery, one the weighed on Harry's mind in the days and weeks that followed.

Ron and Hermione weren't much help, each as clueless as Harry when it came to the Pokémon that ran free through the wilderness, while the only thing Sirius had to say was simple, yet equally frustrating. Harry would see them again.

It did not escape Harry's notice that Charizard was still Mega Evolved when he had flown away. Sometimes he thought he could feel his presence, but the Key Stone hung still, unresponsive around his neck.

The Mind Plate itself was a welcome addition to the camp, both in terms of the psychological boost of being one step closer to their goal, and the extra effects it brought with it.

Upon gaining the Mind Plate Harry's thoughts all of a sudden seemed to clear. Everything around him that had so often caused him to fret and worry, from how to get food or when they needed to travel to avoid unwanted attention, seemed to be just that much simpler, the solution just that much more obvious. And Harry could tell the others were feeling it too.

With the Mind Plate in their midst Hermione couldn't help herself but go over all the locations Dumbledore had left them that they still had left to cover, organising them based on ease of access and likelihood that they may contain a Plate. Ron, meanwhile, spent most of his time thinking up new battling techniques.

But there was a cost, one that they soon became aware of.

It never stopped.

Sleep did not come easy for the group, not when their brains refused to settle, thoughts, plans and strategies running through their heads constantly at every waking moment, and soon enough it began to take a severe toll.

Still, at least the benefits were good. And they knew how to deal with it.

"Imagine if we could have had the Mind Plate for exams," Ron murmured as he, Hermione and Harry walked along a simple country trail. "I'd have aced everything, even Fortune Telling."

It was dark now, night having fallen, and though investigating the three of them weren't expecting anything of note.

They had left Sirius back at their camp for the night, having come to the decision that the only way to mitigate the negative effects of the Mind Plate was to give each of them time away from it. And so, while Harry, Ron and Hermione carried with them the Mind Plate on their investigations of a possible location for another Arceus Plate, Sirius remained at camp to get himself some much needed sleep.

"You would have had to actually know the material beforehand, Ron," Hermione said slightly waspishly, objecting on principle to the idea of cheating on an exam. "The Plate only helps with logical reasoning. It doesn't teach you things."

Ron shrugged.

"Not like I cared about Fortune Telling anyway," he dismissed. Beside him, Harry grinned.

He turned to Hermione.

"Are we on the right track?" He asked. With the darkness of night, although it wasn't pitch black, allowing for the outline of the trees and fences on either side of them to be visible, it was very easy to get lost.

The calendar had rolled around to April, or perhaps even May, Harry had lost track once again, and despite the darkness it remained reasonably warm, or as warm as could be expected for Scotland. Their recent journey had taken them north, all the Plates having been found so far throughout the English countryside, and while it was more a guess than anything else it still seemed only logical to check out the land north of the border too.

And best to avoid doing so over winter.

Hermione squinted down at the map in her hand, shifting the small flashlight she carried into her mouth so she could examine it more closely.

"This is definitely the right area," Hermione assured him as she removed the flashlight once more. "Dumbledore's journal noted that there was a farming community in this area where there have been reported an unusual number of electrical storms."

"Electrical storms?" Ron repeated. "That almost screams Arceus Plate. The Zap Plate, to be precise."

"Yes, but where would it be?" Hermione wondered. "Sure, the storms are over this whole area, but to be honest we really need daylight to be able to do a proper search. The Arceus Plate could be sitting in any one of these fields and we wouldn't even know it."

Harry had an idea.

"Pikachu," he muttered and the electric type appeared with a small flash on his shoulder. He glanced at Hermione. "If the Zap Plate is nearby Pikachu should sense it."

"Good thinking," said Ron as Pikachu sniffed the air experimentally, as if assuming that he would somehow be able to smell the Plate. He wouldn't, of course, but if there was an unusual build up of electricity nearby Pikachu would surely notice.

"Let's keep going," Harry indicated, jerking his head onwards down the path. "We haven't really looked yet and, really, this isn't about finding the Plate. Let's give Sirius some more time to sleep."

Ron and Hermione looked in agreement, each well aware of how valuable the few hours Sirius would have without the presence of the Mind Plate could be, and so they walked on, Hermione intermittently shining her flashlight on the map as Pikachu looked around through the darkness, ears perked up.

A soft jingling sound made itself known. Harry, Ron and Hermione came to a sudden holt.

"What is it?" Ron breathed, straining his ears. Harry didn't know, but whatever it was it seemed to be getting closer.

"Maybe we should…" Hermione began but she had no time to finish as all of a sudden the source of the mysterious noise was upon them.

A dog trotted delightedly over to them, sniffing at their legs enthusiastically as its tail wagged.

"Jesus," Ron muttered. "What sort of Pokémon is that?" Caught by surprise, Harry snorted.

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione huffed, although even she was amused. "You seriously don't recognise a dog when you see one?" The dog in question was rubbing itself enthusiastically against Hermione's legs and, unable to resist its charms, Hermione bent down to give it a good pet.

The dog turned under her administrations, tongue lolling out in delight.

"That's a border collie, right?" Harry wondered, calling upon his rather limited knowledge of dog breeds as he knelt down too, the dog quickly moving towards him and attempting to lick his face. "I wonder where it came from."

Hermione stiffened.

"Of course," she muttered. "We need to go, we shouldn't be seen here." And she stood up hurriedly, preparing to leave.

She didn't get very far. A torch shone upon them, more powerful than the one Hermione carried, and the trio were forced to shield their eyes as they looked up at the large, bearded beast of a man that approached them.

"Hello, wha' have we 'ere?" He wondered, a strong Scottish lilt coming through that reminded Harry with surprising sharpness of Professor McGonagall. The man lowered his torch to the ground so he was no longer blinding them. "Wha' are kids like you doin' 'round here?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look, silently trying to work out an excuse they could agree on, but as they did so the man frowned. He took a step closer, raising his torch ever so slightly to light up their faces, and let out a gasp.

"Good lord," he muttered, lowering the torch again out of what seemed like shock. "I can't believe it. It's you. I never…"

He stopped, gaping at Harry as though he had never seen anything quite like him, and with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach Harry realised that there was no doubt that this man had recognised him for who he was.

The man seemed conflicted on what to do. He hadn't run for it, nor did he seem particularly comfortable where he stood. He glanced off nervously through the darkness, as though checking to see if anyone was watching, and when he turned back to Harry his expression grew decisive.

"Come on," he murmured, gesturing swiftly for them to follow him as he half turned down the path he'd been walking. "Follow me. We can't have you standin' out in the open like tha'. Sammy, come."

The border collie gave up on his thorough inspection of Ron's boots and bounded cheerfully after its owner, coming up to his side and looking up adoringly as the man almost automatically patted him on the head.

The man paused.

"Are you comin'?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a silent look. Harry raised an eyebrow. Hermione's look was anxious as she bit her lip. Ron glanced at the man, and gave a shrug, his message clear.

If they needed to they could take him.

Harry nodded.

The path they followed between the two fields led straight for a bit before taking a sharp left turn, rounding the boundary of the farm that lay there. All the while the man led them on in silence, his gait swift though with a rather obvious limp as he walked with his dog by his side.

They reached a small cottage, the sort of building that really only looked suitable for a family of one to live in, and the man before them fumbled with his key in the lock before opening the door, light streaming from inside. The dog, Sammy, bounded through.

With the man looking significantly at them, standing back to let them through, Harry, Ron and Hermione followed Sammy across the threshold.

The entry way was small and not big enough for all three of them at once, necessitating Harry to step further inside, into what appeared to be a sitting room. It was very cosy, the furnishings looking well worn, and against the wall sat a small fireplace, flames flickering softly. Meanwhile Harry could hear the sound of movement in the kitchen as Sammy dug into his food bowl.

"My word." The man's voice caught Harry's attention once more and he turned to see him standing in the entrance. His eyes were wide and his cap was held to his chest, revealing a gleaming bald head that stood at odds with his thick, greying beard. "I'd never 'ave believed it. Harry Potter."

Harry said nothing.

"Please, take a seat," the man beckoned, gesturing to a sofa that sat along one end of the room. As Harry, Ron and Hermione gently settled, each sitting on the very edge as they prepared to leave at any moment, the man himself limped across the room. An armchair sat at the other end, feet pointed in the direction of the fire, and the man slowly lowered himself into it, giving a long sigh of relief.

Hermione shifted nervously. "Sir, are you alright?" She asked.

The man looked surprised.

"Oh, don't you worry, lass," he told her, a smile crinkling his lips. "It's just the old arthritis playing up. You may have noticed, but I'm not exactly some spring chicken." He chuckled.

At that moment Sammy the dog reappeared, seemingly done with his dinner for now, and he moved over to the old man's side, curling up between him and the fireplace.

Harry leaned forward.

"Sir," he said, still hesitant but getting the feeling that this man at least did not mean any harm. "Sir, are you a trainer? You seem to recognise me." His eyes were on Sammy. Harry didn't think he knew of any trainer that had a muggle pet.

The man gave a small snort.

"Well, o' course I recognise you," he said, picking up a newspaper from the side table next to him and throwing it over. Harry caught it. "Have a look at that."

Harry did, unfolding the paper gently, realising as he did so that it was a Daily Prophet, dated April 30th. But he soon forgot about that.

On the front page stood an enormous photo of Harry, above which was the caption 'Undesirable Number One'. Harry tensed.

"Guess yeh haven't seen tha' before," the man noted, looking grim even as he leaned back in his chair. "Tha's why I tried ta get ya in here as quickly as possible. Don't want the wrong sort findin' you, not tha' there's really much o' those 'round here." He looked almost wistful for a moment.

He snapped back to focus.

"I'm Rabbie, by the way. Rabbie Dunlop," he introduced. "And don't you worry, I don't believe anythin' that garbage rag's been sayin' about ya. I've been followin' the news too long to be fooled by propaganda like that." He sighed.

"I come from a half an' half background," he explained, settling in as though about to tell a long story. "My father was a farmer, an' that's all he ever wanted to be, an' he raised me ta be the same. My mother, on the other hand, wanted me to have a bit o' her world in my life. Even though I never went to that school - Hogwarts, they call it? - when I was eleven maw took me down ta London where I got my first Pokémon. Only Pokémon, it turned out." Rabbie frowned.

"Phanpy!" He called loudly, startling the trio with the sudden noise. There was a moment's silence, Rabbie staying quiet as he listened expectantly for a response, and soon enough the tiny ground type Pokémon came trotting into the room.

"What ya doin' sleepin', ya lazy willy," Rabbie scolded, without venom. He shook his head in dismay. "Yer supposed ta be protectin' the cabin." Phanpy yawned before curling up in a ball and rolling softly until it was resting in front of the fire.

Rabbie chuckled.

"I'm jokin', o' course," he said, looking down at the Pokémon with fond eyes. "Ya don't really see much o' anyone 'round here these days. Tha's why I was so surprised ta see you." Rabbie glanced up at Pikachu on Harry's shoulder. "An' with a Pokémon to boot."

Pikachu tilted his head curiously at the old man, who smiled.

A small quiet fell.

"Eh," Ron said awkwardly, glancing at Harry and Hermione as he turned to their host. "Well, it was nice to meet you Mr Dunlop…"

"Rabbie," Rabbie Dunlop insisted.

"Sure," said Ron. "But, uh, we can't really be hanging around. I mean, you know, we have stuff to do."

Rabbie looked embarrassed.

"O' course, what was I thinkin'," he muttered, shaking his head. "I got all carried away, I don't want ta be a burden on you, no. All I wanted ta do was help, ta be honest. An' a guy like me, well, clearly I'm not much use."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared an awkward look. While it was true that they really did have to get going and that they had no time for pleasantries it was quite hard to say so outright in the face of such a seemingly honest fellow. None of them wanted to make him feel bad.

And as Harry's thoughts swum for a way to try and make Rabbie feel better an idea came to mind, one he realised actually was a lot more important than he had believed.

"Actually," he said, causing Hermione and Ron to look at him in surprise. "You can help us." Ron and Hermione looked confused. Rabbie excited.

"I can?" He asked. "Anything. Anything you need I'm here."

Harry glanced at Hermione. Understanding dawned upon her.

"Um, well," she said, regaining her composure. "Mr Dunlop… sorry, Robbie, we were looking into reports of unusual electrical storms in this area. You've been here a long time, you said, do you know anything about them?"

It was almost as if a light had lit up inside Rabbie Dunlop's head. He sat up straight in his chair.

"Aye, I do," he said excitedly. "See, this area is pretty quiet now, just me really, but back in the day there were plenty other farms around. There were the Smiths and the MacDonalds and old man Armstrong down by the stream, but then things changed. The weather got volatile, these electric storms like you said, an' the crops just wouldn't grow like they did before. Over time all the old families have moved on, going into the city to find work, and now I'm the only one left. Just me, Sammy and Phanpy."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"When did these storms start?" Hermione wondered. "Were they recent?"

"Nah," Rabbie shook his head. "No, they started around twenty, thirty years ago, I reckon."

"And do you know what caused them?" Hermione stressed.

Rabbie shook his head.

"Only thing I know is the rumours," he said. "These storms, they're random as far as I can tell. Sometimes I go months with fine weather. Sometimes there's a thunder storm every night for a week. But all the time they come from the same spot." He pointed a finger through the wall behind them. "Look out the window, you'll see."

Ron rose to his feet, slipping around behind the sofa they were sitting on to peer through the curtains into the dark night.

"See that silhouette," Rabbie told him, looking past Ron as if able to see with his very own eyes. "That hill, or mountain or munro or whatever, we call it Wallace's Crest. Up there is where the storm comes from."

Rabbie grimaced

"O' course, it's got a new name now, people couldn't help themselves; Thor's Landing."

"Thor's Landing?" Harry repeated. Rabbie shook his head in annoyance.

"Can't believe it caught on," he grunted. "Stupid name."

Naming aside Harry was intrigued. He leaned forward, feeling Hermione do the same next to him, as Ron watched from the window.

"Have you ever been up Wallace's Crest, Rabbie?" Harry asked interestedly.

"Aye," said Rabbie. "When I was young though. I've never been to the top since all this stuff started happenin'. No one in their right mind would want to try."

Which of course was what Harry was going to do. Well, many people would argue that he was rarely in his right mind.

"So it is possible to get to the top," Harry pressed. "There's not something that's changed since you were young, apart from the storms, I mean."

"Don't think so," Rabbie told him. He frowned. "Hang on," he said and with a loud grunt he pushed himself to his feet.

"Sir," Hermione objected, looking worried he might over strain himself. Rabbie just waved her away.

"Easy, lass, I can manage," he said and as he pulled himself upright he shuffled the short distance across the room, bending laboriously to open up a drawer, within which he pulled out a sheet of paper.

He handed it to Harry.

"Barring any major changes I don't know about that will get ya right to the top," Rabbie assured him, shuffling back over to his armchair and sinking into it with a loud groan. "My grandpa used to climb it all the time back in the day, an' he mapped it out as well as he could. Follow the route marked on that map and you shan't go far wrong."

"Wait, you're giving this to me?" Harry wondered.

"O' course," said Rabbie, smiling slightly at his surprise. "Anythin' you need, like I said. I want ta help you, and it would do grandpa's soul good to be able ta help you too." Rabbie let in a satisfied breath. "Take it, you have my blessing."

Harry looked down at the map in his hand, feeling oddly touched. This had clearly meant a lot for Rabbie to have it so close at hand.

"I'll bring it back," he said, even as he rose to his feet. It was time to leave. "Once we're done we'll come back here."

"I look forward to it," Rabbie grinned. "But take your time. There's no need to rush for an old duffer like me." He began to pull himself to his feet.

"Oh, no, please sir, you don't need to stand up for us," Hermione insisted hurriedly. Rabbie chuckled.

"Alright, lass, just for you," he conceded, settling back into his armchair.

Harry, Ron and Hermione began to file towards the door.

"Good luck," Rabbie called after them as they prepared to exit back into the dark night outside. "And if you ever need me you know where I am."

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

To Guest: Thanks for leaving a review, I'm glad you've enjoyed so far. I'm sorry for the whole Sirius thing not coming off well for you. I liked how I could have Sirius face the truth about Regulus, and also to help boost Harry and the group at their lowest, and also explore the differences in their relationship since Sirius has been gone for two years. I've got more of all that coming in the rest of the chapters so hopefully that will help.

To Whitefri2z: Thanks for the review and don't worry about not being good at it or doing it very often. The fact that you made the effort really means a lot to me.

To Jacebralor: Unfortunately we won't be seeing Lily's team as they were killed in the explosion that killed Lily. However I can tell you I had chosen on both Electrode and Florges to be among Lily's Pokemon. And, though unfortunately I couldn't find a place to include it, I came up with a great backstory of James training a Budew into a Roselia and trying to give it as a gift to Lily as an attempt to woo her. Lily rejected him - and Roselia - at the time but later once they were together James did pass Roselia on as a gift on their first valentine's day. Roselia later evolved into a Roserade.

Until next time.


	23. The Lightning Topped Mountain

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

An hour later found Harry, Ron and Hermione, with Sirius now in toe, awoken from his well deserved rest, standing in the large shadow of Wallace's Crest. It was pitch black now, the only light coming from the flashlights they carried with them, and in other circumstances they would probably be better off waiting for sunlight before embarking on their quest. But with the knowledge that an Arceus Plate may very well be sitting at the top of the mountain they were spurred into action.

Only Sirius had concerns.

"Are you sure about this Dunlop person?" He murmured as the four of them started their steady climb, Hermione taking the lead with Rabbie Dunlop's grandfather's map in hand. "It all seems a bit convenient."

This wasn't the first objection Sirius had raised.

"He seemed genuine," Harry told him, the fact that they continued to press forward regardless of Sirius's concerns saying more about their faith than any words. "He's just a local farmer who happens to live near an extraordinary place."

"And he said he's the only one?" Sirius questioned.

"The only one remaining," said Harry. "Everyone else left with the storms."

"And you are sure of that?" Sirius pressed. "You are sure he wasn't just feeding you a story?"

Harry gave out a frustrated sigh.

"Sirius, I trust him," he said firmly, deciding to put an end to the discussion once and for all. "He's a genuine guy who just wants to help any way he can. And if he is working with the Death Eaters then, you know what, he deserves to catch us, because it would take an extraordinary actor to pull off that kind of sincerity. Trust me, Sirius, Rabbie Dunlop is no threat to us."

Sirius didn't reply yet Harry doubted he was fully convinced. But of course Sirius hadn't met Rabbie. He hadn't seen how the man's face lit up at the prospect of helping them, how he looked fondly on his dog and his Pokémon and readily offered them all the support they needed. If Sirius had been there, he would understand.

Sirius remained silent the rest of the way up Wallace's Crest.

The journey went on for hours. Whilst aware that the climb was going to be tough, that there was a very good reason that Rabbie had referred to it as a mountain, they had not quite prepared themselves for just how much of a challenge scaling it would be. Rabbie had said he'd climbed it in his youth, he'd made it seem simple, but clearly Rabbie had either been a lot fitter than they were, or had downplayed how tricky it was. And the darkness certainly didn't help.

Harry was starting to regret his insistence that they travel tonight. What was a few hours really? With the light of the sun this trek would undoubtedly become twice as easy, and a few hours sleep before trying would have helped avoid the pure exhaustion that was starting to set in as ever so slightly the light of the next morning began to appear.

It was only when the landscape around them began to come somewhat visible, if only in its outline, that Hermione finally pulled them to a stop. She checked the map, looking up the path ahead, and then she turned to the others.

"We're almost there," she whispered, glancing back up the hill, and Harry looked too.

They were reaching the end of their trek. While the path wound round a bit more Harry could clearly see the point above them where the mountain suddenly stopped rising. What was beyond that point he had no idea. What awaited them on Thor's Landing he could not see.

Sirius shivered as a brisk wind blew through them.

"This is the Zap Plate, right," he said, pulling his jacket more firmly around him as he gazed up to the top. "If we're almost there we should get ready."

"Flygon is our only ground type," Ron noted, his face a cross between thoughtful and a grimace. "We're going to have to rely on him heavily, but what if there are ice types too. Are there any electric and ice type Pokémon?"

It was with relief that Harry saw Hermione shake her head.

"There could be a Rotom in its ice form," she told them. "But that requires Rotom to possess a fridge. Highly unlikely all the way up here."

"We do have some other options, especially if we are dealing with dual typings," Harry added. "Pikachu resists electric type attacks, even if they'll resist him in return. And Charizard too, once he's Mega Evolved."

"That still isn't fantastic," said Sirius.

"Either way it's all just guesswork until we see for ourselves," Hermione told them. "I say we've done all the planning we can do from here. Let's get to the top. I'll take the lead."

Together they walked forward, Hermione at the front, clutching Flygon's Pokéball tightly in her grip, with Ron, Harry and Sirius following behind her, all wondering exactly what they would find on Thor's Landing.

It was quiet. The plateau that made up the summit of the mountain was completely still but for a cooling breeze that swept across it, brisk at such a high altitude. Large boulders lay scattered around, jutting out at random on the mostly flat surface, but though they did provide potential hiding spots for any aggressive Pokémon there was no sign of life.

But they were in the right place. Right in the middle of the plateau, sitting on a simple stone pedestal like all the others before it, was a golden yellow Plate. The Zap Plate.

"Well," Sirius murmured softly. "There it is."

"Looks like it," agreed Ron. "But if it is here, and it's quiet, then where do the storms come from?"

It was a good question. Though undoubtedly the Plate would have an impact on its environment, as they stood mere feet from it it was very calm. And even as remote as it was, high in the air where most would never travel, it seemed too good to be true that it was left unguarded. No other Plate had been. There was no way this was the exception.

"Only one thing for it," Harry concluded. He took a deep breath, and glanced at Hermione. "Be ready."

She nodded.

Harry stepped forward, his first shaky step followed by a more firm second as he set himself on a confident course towards the Zap Plate, hoping for the best, but knowing full well it wasn't going to happen.

A jolt of lightning struck out at Harry, snapping at the ground at his feet as he immediately jumped backwards. He stumbled a bit, regaining footing, and he looked up at his aggressor as it rose from the shadows.

His eyes went wide.

A behemoth rose into the air before him. Its wings flapped, electricity sparking with every movement, and as it rose high into the sky dark eyes glared down from behind a long, pointed beak.

Zapdos screeched.

"Get down!" Harry shouted and the four of them scattered, throwing themselves recklessly aside as lightning seared through the place where they had been standing.

Caught in the open Harry scrabbled hastily to the side, finding shelter behind a large boulder which shielded him from Zapdos's rage. He took a moment, breathing heavily as he tried to recover from such a close shave, before he looked back out on the scene before him.

"Flygon, go!" Harry heard Hermione shout and he saw the flash of red light originating from somewhere far across the plateau as Flygon materialised into being. From where he was knelt he could not see where the others had gone, hoping that they too had been able to find cover, and his worries for one of them were put at ease as Sirius scrambled over to join him, his face pale, his eyes wide.

"Zapdos," he stuttered, looking suddenly so completely out of his depth. "A… an honest to god…" Words failed him.

Hearing the pitched battle between Zapdos and Flygon overhead Harry risked sticking his head out around the boulder. He drew it back quickly.

"It's just Zapdos," he reported to Sirius, who was still shaking his head. "It seems Zapdos alone is guarding this Plate."

"Just Zapdos," Sirius repeated faintly.

Harry grimaced.

"Look, Sirius, you've got to pull it together," he said firmly, and as he did so he pulled one of his Pokéballs from his belt. "I know Zapdos is scary but it's only one Pokémon and we've done this before. If we could beat Spiritomb we can beat Zapdos."

Sirius nodded weakly but Harry could tell he wasn't convinced. Inevitably he would be thinking of their tale of how terrifying Spiritomb was.

Harry turned back towards where he could hear Zapdos battling.

"Pikachu, let's go!" He instructed, the small electric type appearing with a flash of light up atop the boulder he and Sirius were sheltering behind.

"Thunderbolt!"

Zapdos's flying typing had removed a lot of its major weaknesses to Flygon but as a result it was suddenly not as strong against Pikachu's attacks. As electricity blasted from Pikachu's diminutive form up towards where Zapdos and Flygon were duking it out Harry turned back to Sirius.

"Help me out," he instructed.

Suddenly Sirius seemed to snap out of it.

"Aerodactyl, go!" He yelled, the prehistoric Pokémon bursting from his Pokéball with a shriek. "Mega Evolve!" Light burst from the ring on Sirius's left index finger, stretching out towards where Aerodactyl had disappeared over the rocks in his pursuit of Zapdos, and as the light reached its goal Aerodactyl's shrieks rose in volume.

Twisting around from his position Harry chanced a look once more, his eyes scanning the plateau, and at last he caught a glimpse of Ron and Hermione.

Their cover was not as good as Harry's and Sirius's. Instead the two of them stood mostly out in the open, Ron's Metagross locked in place in front of them, a shield flaring up as stray bolts of electricity flashed towards them, and with the arrival of Pikachu and Aerodactyl on the scene Ron and Hermione clearly got the message.

"Go, Mismagius!" Hermione called.

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

The fire that sprung from Arcanine's jaws burned through the air, catching Zapdos in the chest just as Flygon moved out of its path. The electric bird screeched in pain and in anger, and as Aerodactyl pressed forward, jaws snapping wildly, it let out a burst of static, catching Aerodactyl off guard and making it flinch.

Zapdos went into a dive. It ducked Mismagius's Shadow Ball, breezing past a Flygon Dragon Rush, and descended for Arcanine, going into a frantic spin as a Drill Peck shot towards the ground.

Arcanine leapt aside with haste, doing his best to avoid the wild attack, but there was no time for a clean dodge and Zapdos caught him, sending him tumbling away across the plateau like a rag doll.

Arcanine picked himself up painfully from where he landed.

Zapdos soared up into the air, past where Arcanine had stood, and he rose up behind Harry and Sirius's hiding place. Black, beady eyes stared at them.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he blasted off a powerful bolt of lightning just as Zapdos did the same. The two attacks clashed wildly in midair, sparks dancing dangerously in the space between them as Harry and Sirius scrambled to protect themselves, crouching down to cover their faces.

Predictably Pikachu couldn't last. His electric attack fizzled against the might of the legendary bird and as it did Zapdos's attack pushed back, searing through the sky and crashing into the spot where Pikachu stood with a massive crack. The boulder behind which Harry and Sirius had been hiding split in two from where the attack struck and Pikachu went flying.

Zapdos's eyes turned back to Harry.

"Umbreon, Protect!" Harry cried and the dark type appeared just in time to raise a shield as Zapdos rained down on them another devastating blow. Umbreon's shield held the attack back only just, the electricity snapping and sizzling against the shield mere feet away from where Harry lay, helpless, and Harry knew if for any reason Umbreon faltered he would have no chance of survival.

And suddenly the attack came to a stop, the light show before Harry's eyes faded, and, blinking fiercely, he was able to look up onto the scene to see that Flygon had engaged Zapdos once more.

The two Pokémon disappeared from view.

With the immediate danger negated Harry could focus on other, pressing issues.

"Pikachu," he murmured, remembering the Pokémon who had been struck so viciously by the attack. "Pikachu!"

There was no response and Harry felt sickened as he thought of what could have happened. Knowing it was risky, but unable to leave Pikachu alone and injured at Zapdos's mercy, Harry stuck his head back out around the boulder.

Relief flooded him as he saw, lolloping beneath the destruction that was the battle going on above, Arcanine, with Pikachu's limp form held in his jaws, returning towards where Hermione and Ron were hiding.

He would be alright, if only after a lot of care once they were done, but he would live.

The flapping of wings drew Harry's attention and he looked up to see Aerodactyl, his form much more fiercely jagged than usual after his Mega Evolution, alight on the top of the boulder close to where Pikachu had stood before, groaning loudly. Sparks flitted across his form.

"He's paralysed," Sirius grimaced, looking sick in the stomach as he watched his Pokémon. "He's a sitting duck now, he can't fight."

"Mismagius!" Hermione's cry snapped Harry's head back to the action and he watched as lightning struck the ghost type with tremendous force. Mismagius's figure was brightly illuminated for a long moment as Zapdos's attack pulsed through her, then she fell still, her body smoking from the attack.

In response Flygon flew in for another attack, even as all his teammates were felled one by one, but as he shot in with an Aerial Ace he was caught by surprise by one massive swipe of Zapdos's wing. The electric type let out a shriek, charging down at Flygon with a Drill Peck attack once more, and before he could recover Flygon was drilled into the ground, causing the earth to shake at the ferocity of the blow.

Zapdos rose high into the air, screeching loudly into the steadily brightening sky, and below it Flygon remained motionless.

Harry swallowed. A Pokéball found its way into his grasp, his last resort, and with a grim look on his face he prepared for the final showdown.

"Charizard!" He cried, tossing the Pokéball into the air and hearing the roar of his partner as he appeared above him. "Mega Evolve!"

Light burst from Harry's chest, stretching upwards to where Charizard hovered above him, and as the two beams connected, snapping into place, and Charizard's transformation began, the fire and dragon type flew into battle.

From where Harry knelt he could barely keep up. Sometimes he could see the action, others the two Pokémon moved out of sight, but all the while he could feel Charizard's emotions, feel the pain of every hit he took and the satisfaction of every blow he dished out. The roar of Charizard and the screech of Zapdos filled the morning air and bolts of electricity and jets of flames peppered the ground as the two Pokémon clashed high in the sky.

Harry grit his teeth. He couldn't go on like this, unable to follow his Pokémon's progress as he faced up against what would be his toughest one on one matchup ever, and even though he could feel Charizard's thoughts, feel how he was doing through their connection, he knew he couldn't do this. They were a team and for that to be the case Harry could not leave this just to Charizard.

Unable to stay hidden any longer he stepped out from behind the boulder.

Charizard and Zapdos's battle was clear for anyone to see. The two behemoths were throwing themselves at each other with near reckless abandon, colliding with force before breaking apart again, firing off jets of flames and bolts of electricity respectively, neither giving an inch to their opponent.

A stray bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby, reminding Harry of the danger posed by standing in the open, but he had made his decision. He steadied himself, and looked up to his partner in the sky.

"Focus Punch!" He called and up above, as the two Pokémon charged at each other once more, Charizard instinctively responded. He pulled up at the last moment and his punch caught Zapdos across the face with a mighty blow, knocking the legendary bird off balance.

Zapdos staggered in the air.

"Now, Flamethrower!" Harry called. From close range Charizard released the attack, giving Zapdos no hope of dodging, and the legendary Pokémon flinched away violently, using his wings to try and catch the wind and pull himself away from the blistering attack.

Charizard pursued.

"Dragon Rage!" Harry shouted as Charizard chased Zapdos through the sky. A burning sphere of energy erupted from Charizard's jaw, honing in on the Pokémon before him, but from Zapdos's tail feathers electricity sparked. The Discharge attack caught the Dragon Rage and it exploded, filling the air with smoke.

"Flare Blitz!"

Charizard bulldozed his way through the smoke, his figure surrounded by burning flames, and he crashed into Zapdos with full force. The two Pokémon drove down towards the ground, Charizard pushing on as Zapdos was left helpless under his power as the two Pokémon crashed into the ground.

From out of the smoke rose Charizard, unfurling his wings to lift himself away from the source of the impact to land before Harry, watching as the dust began to settle around Zapdos's form.

Harry waited with bated breath, staring at the shadow that was Zapdos's form ahead of him, waiting to see if it could recover.

It shifted. Slowly, but with a steadiness that spoke of unshakeable determination, Zapdos pushed itself back to its feet, its wings raising it from the ground as it pulled itself up to its full height. It glared towards Charizard.

Zapdos's body was heavily damaged now, littered with burns and bruises, both from Charizard and the several other Pokémon it had had to face before him, but none of that seemed to matter as its gaze conveyed nothing but pure, unbridled fury.

Charizard glared back, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

In the centre sat the Zap Plate, the object untouched.

Zapdos shrieked.

"Into the air," Harry commanded as Zapdos rocketed into the sky once more, Charizard following after it with a strong kick into the sky. "Flamethrower!"

Charizard let loose a blast of fire that was met halfway by a blast of electricity. The two attacks burned into each other in midair, each as strong as the other, and it all culminated in an explosion of smoke once more.

"Fire Fang!" Charizard soared forward.

For a moment Zapdos did not react. Hovering above the smoke, watching as Charizard rushed towards it, the black eyes of the thunder bird moved from the Pokémon to the trainer.

"Charizard, look out!" Harry called just in time as Zapdos went into another wild spin. Charizard pulled himself away, giving up on his attack in an instant, dodging Zapdos's dangerous Drill Peck.

Zapdos missed, but it did not seem to matter. It kept going, spinning dangerously as it descended even further, and with horror Harry realised too late that Zapdos had a different target in mind.

Him.

"Umbreon!"

The dark type Pokémon leapt before Harry heroically, standing between him and the legendary bird with a determined gaze as it left its place of safety to come to his aid, a shield rising before him.

Zapdos crashed into Umbreon's Protect with tremendous force, spinning madly as if to pierce through the shield with its long, sharp beak. Even as it was brought to a stop, unable to make it past Umbreon's defences, it continued to push, refusing to give in, and as Umbreon strained to hold the shield up between them he ever so slowly began to slide backwards.

A roar resonated around the mountaintop. Charizard swooped in.

"Grab it!" Harry instructed, well aware that Umbreon would not be able to hold on for very much longer. Charizard, understanding precisely what Harry was thinking, collided forcefully with the still spinning Zapdos, pinning its wings to its body awkwardly and bringing it to a sudden, violent stop.

Zapdos struggled weakly but Charizard would not budge. His grip tightened.

With Zapdos in his arms he rose into the air.

"Sky Drop!"

Charizard roared. He turned in the air, the Zapdos in his grasp an uncomfortable ball of feathers and electricity, and he charged for the ground. He twisted, taking a firm hold of one of Zapdos's wings, and slammed the Pokémon into the ground with enough force to make the whole mountain shake.

As Charizard landed on the ground once more the dust began to settle, and this time Zapdos did not get up. It lay in a heap, feathers bent out of shape, and the only signs of movement from the defeated beast was that of its laboured breathing as it lay on the ground.

For a moment no one moved, watching as if expecting Zapdos to rise once again. But it didn't. It was well and truly beaten.

Harry stepped forward. He walked past Umbreon, who's shield had fallen with the aggressor incapacitated, inclining his head in recognition as he went, and past Charizard, who maintained a firm gaze on Zapdos as if daring it to move. He walked past Zapdos and with a small breath he lifted the Zap Plate from its plinth.

A low growl from Charizard caused Harry to turn. Zapdos was shifting on the ground, trying to pull its wings into a position in which they could help push it back to its feet. But it couldn't. It was too weak. So instead it lay there, looking up at the Zap Plate in Harry's hand with desperation in its gaze.

Harry looked down at the Plate too, pity blossoming in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "You didn't deserve this. It's just something I have to do."

He stepped away, leaving Zapdos behind as he knew it would do the Pokémon no good to hang around, and he walked to his friends.

They had gathered together back where they had started, no longer having to take shelter behind their respective shields, and they stood patiently as they waited for him to join them.

Gently Harry scooped Pikachu out of Hermione's arms. The small electric type looked exhausted, though fortunately nothing worse, and Harry passed over the Zap Plate for him to hold.

Immediately he seemed to improve, a little colour coming back to his cheeks as electricity sparked once more, and with renewed energy Pikachu slowly clambered up Harry's arm and took a hold of Harry's shoulder, the Zap Plate held securely to his chest.

And as the four of them began to step down from the Plateau known now as Thor's Landing, and soon to be just the summit of Wallace's Crest once more, Harry looked back at Zapdos, its feathers now glowing as the sun finally broke over the horizon, before he stepped forward after the others, and began the trek back down the mountain, leaving the legendary bird behind.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

To JAGuar116: Mewtwo is great, one of my favourite legendaries, but I don't want to give things away as to whether it's involved in the story. However I can easily say that my favourite Pokemon is Torterra. It was my starter in Pokemon Diamond which is the first Pokemon game I really remember playing and it was fantastic. I'll always love it for that.

Until next time.


	24. The Road To Nowhere

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

As they descended the mountain exhaustion, which had held back due to the adrenaline running through their systems, began to set in, even as the sun rose up into the sky for what was promising to be a rather pleasant day.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius walked in silence and it was only once the ground had levelled out at the foothills of Wallace's Crest that they spoke.

"Do you want me to take that?" Ron wondered. The Zap Plate remained in Pikachu's grasp, the electric type looking stronger by the minute as he clutched protectively the source of his recovery, reluctant to let it go.

Gently Harry pried the Plate from Pikachu's grip, the Pokémon looking almost betrayed by Harry's actions, and he handed it over to Ron, his other hand absently scratching at Pikachu's chin in consolation.

"We only have one left," he said, the tiniest hint of excitement lacing his voice though he tried to remain realistic. But it was hard, they were so close. Harry almost couldn't believe they'd made it this far, but somehow they had. Just one more Plate.

"We should thank Mr Dunlop," Hermione announced. They were standing in a small copse of trees, wandering idly in that direction anyway, and it would take no more than five minutes to pop in on the farmer. "His information proved invaluable."

"Too right," agreed Ron. "Imagine trying to get up that mountain without a map."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"You still got the map, Hermione?" He made sure, returning Pikachu to his Pokéball as he did so. The rest of the Pokémon had already been returned, taking a well deserved rest.

Hermione nodded.

"We should give it back," she agreed.

"Well, I suppose he was alright," Sirius relented. "And who knows, maybe he's got a pot of coffee he can share with us too. I'm exhausted, if I don't get something to keep me going I'm just going to keel over, and I'm the one who actually got some sleep."

Harry smiled. Yes, that sounded good. And maybe Rabbie would be so kind as to give them a place to rest.

"Let's go," he said and together they pushed on, lengthening their strides as the comforts of Rabbie's cabin called them home.

Upon clearing the line of trees they could see Rabbie's cabin clearly, no more than a hundred meters away, but they came to a sudden halt.

"Shit," Sirius cursed. "Get back, get back."

On instinct they retreated back into the cover of the trees, taking shelter behind their trunks as they looked on in horror at the scene that lay before them.

About half a dozen men and women in dark clothes stood around the entrance of Rabbie's cabin. They did not seem to be looking for them, their attention focused firmly on the dwelling, and ominously a large van sat next to the cottage, the back doors held open.

"Oy, leave me alone," Rabbie's voice floated through the air towards them and the man himself appeared, being pushed through the doorway of his cottage, his hands tied roughly behind his back.

"Oh no," Hermione whispered, her hand going to her mouth. "Mr Dunlop."

"What are they doing?" Harry wondered, shaking his head in dismay as he watched the dark figures, who could only be Death Eaters, pushing the old man towards the van. "Why are they bothering him?"

"They must know he helped us," Ron concluded, his expression grim. "That's the only logical explanation."

"He sold us out," Sirius grunted harshly. His face was taught, anger lining his features. "How else could they have known we were here? As soon as you left he must have alerted them, and now he's paying for it. We should get out of here, before they come looking."

Harry shook his head. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't. Rabbie could not have sold them out, it just made no sense for the warm, caring gentleman to even thinking of betraying them.

And even if he had, he didn't deserve this.

"We need to fight," Harry said, ignoring Sirius's noise of protest at the suggestion. "I don't care what he's done he doesn't deserve what the Death Eaters could do to him."

"Agreed," said Ron. He too seemed convinced in Rabbie's innocence.

"We'll hit fast," Harry schemed, peering out over the scene as he pulled a Pokéball into his grasp, feeling Charizard's warmth from inside. "They outnumber us but we're stronger, and we have the element of surprise. We can take them."

He set his feet, preparing himself for the run into battle as he felt the others, even Sirius, follow his lead.

"On the count of three," Harry told them, taking a deep breath and forcing the exhaustion firmly out of his mind. "One. Two…"

A blow struck Harry across the back of the head, pain searing through him, and as he crumpled to the ground everything went dark.

* * *

The sound of an engine was the first thing Harry was conscious of as he began to rouse, followed quickly by that uncomfortable feeling of movement beneath him, along with a surface on his back that was most definitely not a mattress. He blinked, squinting into the poor light and shifting uncomfortably against the metallic wall he'd been propped up against, pushing his hands against the equally unforgiving ground to force himself up straight.

The vehicle he was in jolted and Harry's head bumped painfully into the wall, pain searing through him like a knife as he automatically reached up to where he had been struck, wincing. What had happened?

"You're awake."

Harry looked up.

Ron was sitting across from him, looking unharmed, but little better. There were huge bags under his eyes, suggesting that even since Harry had been out of it he hadn't slept, while the hollowness of his gaze told Harry just how bad their situation was.

Looking around the small metal box they were sitting in, most certainly the van they had only seen from afar earlier, Harry found the others. Hermione was by Ron's side, her head falling on Ron's shoulder as she slept, whereas Sirius was next to Harry, his form stiff as he stared motionless at the wall across from him. Further away, at the very end of the box, sat Rabbie, snoring softly where he sat.

All four of them had thick rope tying their hands behind their backs.

On Harry's other side stood the pair of double doors that stood between him and escape. They were certainly locked, and Harry doubted the others hadn't tried them whilst he'd been unconscious, but though they securely held them inside little streams of light broke through the cracks, giving them just enough light, and just enough air, to get by.

"What happened?" Harry wondered. He could somewhat piece it together but even though it all seemed simple the throbbing of his head made it very hard to concentrate.

"Greyback," Ron told him grimly. Harry looked at him.

"Greyback?" He repeated. An extra hint of fear sparked in Harry's mind. Greyback had been fearsome when they had last met, such that it had only been luck and mistakes on the Death Eater's part that had allowed them to escape. But they had left him with a devastating fire attack burning at his face. Harry had expected him not to have survived.

It appeared he was wrong.

"He's a sight," Ron assured him, correctly reading what Harry was thinking. "His face… I almost didn't recognise him. But the voice was the same and the anger… he wants revenge for what we did."

Harry shivered.

Sirius, meanwhile, shifted. He frowned at Ron.

"Wait, that was you guys who did that to him?" He asked. "I knew him before, from the first war. It felt rude to ask."

Harry and Ron shared a look.

"It wasn't us, exactly," explained Ron, though it was a technicality at best. "He and his goons jumped us months back, all the way back in September, I think. He would have got us then, but he didn't notice Torkoal."

"And you got him with a nice, hot fire attack," Sirius reasoned.

"Eruption," said Harry. Sirius let out a low whistle.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer person," he said.

Harry's attention turned to the other members of their group.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked, looking to Hermione. To his relief Ron nodded.

"She's just exhausted," he told her. "It's been hours since we've been caught, and even though it'd be better to be awake it's hard after so long."

"And what about him?" Harry nodded to Rabbie.

A tense silence settled.

"He's… alright," Ron said eventually, though his expression argued otherwise. "He's old though, this can't be good for him. And he's dead worried about his dog and Phanpy. Phanpy was taken with us, like all our Pokémon too, but the dog was left behind."

"Let's hope it'll be alright," Harry said, but he knew there really only was one way for that to be true. They needed to escape and get Rabbie home. And then they'd have to get him moved somewhere else. The last farmer of the community would finally be gone.

Harry hesitated. "Has he said anything…?" He stopped himself, biting his lip as he glanced at Rabbie. He still didn't believe he'd betrayed them but at the same time it was a very obvious explanation.

"Apparently they kicked his door down this morning, not long before we came along," Ron told him. "He says he didn't tell them anything, pretended like he had no idea, but the Death Eaters didn't believe him, or rather didn't care." Ron hesitated. Beside Harry Sirius was sitting very still.

"I believe him," Ron said eventually, glancing Sirius's way before turning to Harry. "And Hermione does as well. We were talking about it, actually, and it makes far more sense that they simply noticed our battle. I mean, it was a clear night, and there was fire and lightning, anyone nearby would have noticed."

Beside Harry Sirius shifted, but despite clearly objecting he kept quiet.

"Anyway, you'll be able to decide for yourself if you believe him, once he wakes up," Ron told him. "Though it's not exactly a priority."

Harry agreed. Locked up with their Pokémon gone and presumably only heading into even greater danger they had a lot more to worry about than Rabbie's innocence. With the pain in Harry's head beginning to fade into a dull hum his focus sharpened.

"I assume they've got everything?" He asked. "Our Pokémon and our bags?"

"Everything," Ron told him. "They've got all the Plates, Dumbledore's journal, the Odd Keystone, everything."

Which was both good and bad. While it was obviously terrible the situation they found themselves in at least they knew where everything they needed was. Getting it back, however, would be a different matter altogether.

"The Death Eaters are following us in cars," Ron continued. "Turns out Greyback had already headed to the mountain to try and catch us, had about a dozen men with him, and they'd parked elsewhere."

"And do we know where we're going?" Harry wondered. "I assume they didn't say anything. Or are they that confident?"

Ron grimaced. "Something in between, I reckon," he said. "Greyback certainly wasn't afraid to taunt us. But he didn't say anything specific, just that we're in big trouble."

As though they hadn't already figured that out for themselves.

"Judging by how long we've been travelling it only makes sense that we've been going south," Sirius told him. "We're probably back in England by now, northern, I suppose. Exactly where we end up really depends on how much longer we keep going."

It could be hours before they arrived at their destination. It could be five minutes. But it seemed the true answer lay closer to the longer end of the scale as their journey continued on, the van they were riding never stopping for more than a few moments at a time as it winded steadily along the quiet roads, the light streaming through the cracks in the doors steadily darkening as night began to fall.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to have a good long night's sleep, and as time went on food became a huge issue as his stomach rumbled. They had not eaten anything for at least a day, and they hadn't had much to drink either.

About an hour after Harry regained consciousness Hermione woke up, looking exceptionally glad to see Harry alright and talking in a nonstop rant about all that had happened, adding excruciating detail to the story Ron and Sirius had already told.

Ron took this opportunity to catch a few winks of his own, unable to hold off on sleep any longer, and though Harry suggested it to Sirius he refused to join them. At least he'd already had some rest the night before. When it came to their plans to escape a few hours could prove all the difference.

Rabbie Dunlop woke up only once the outside turned dark. He looked terrified, glancing around with wide, fearful eyes, and whether he was telling the truth about not turning them in or not it was clear he was not enjoying the results.

Harry only wished that his words of comfort could have held more meaning, as he promised Rabbie that they would get out of there and get him and Phanpy back to his farm and his dog, but the truth of the matter was that it would be hard enough for them to escape as it was. To take Rabbie, an arthritis riddled senior, with them seemed an unlikely scenario.

Either way it wasn't looking good for any of them.

All of a sudden the van came to a halt. Across from Harry Hermione jerked Ron awake, eyes wide as voices could be heard around the outside of the van.

"What you got there, Greyback?" A voice called, sounding from a decent distance away.

"None of your business," Greyback snapped loudly.

Harry swallowed. That was definitely him. A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and he was forced to take a deep steadying breath.

Stay calm.

"We've got important cargo in here for the Dark Lord," Greyback snapped at the unseen figure. "Now let us in before I come up there and do it myself."

The van rumbled back to life as the person on the other end gave in, and the van moved forward, past whatever barrier or gate that had been holding them back, and rolled along towards their goal.

Gravel sounded beneath their wheels, putting the image in Harry's head of some sort of enormous driveway, and he readied himself as he prepared for the inevitable moment when they came to a stop.

The sound of footsteps around them was more prevalent now, as well as the crunch of gravel as a number of other vehicles pulled in with them, and nearby movement sounded from right outside the door.

There was a short pause.

A moment later the doors to the van swung open wildly, a series of flashlights shining blindingly into their faces as they got their first look at the dark sky of the outside world. Harry shielded his face with his hands, the others having no choice but to grit their teeth and bare it, and slowly his eyes began to get used to their surroundings and he looked upon the scene.

A grassy lawn stretched out before him, but between it and Harry stood at least a dozen figures in black, holding flashlights to their faces and Pokéballs in their hands. And one figure in particular stood out. He stood in the centre, and Harry's eyes gravitated towards him, seeing the disfigured face, the single eye melted shut, and the malicious grin on his twisted lips.

The figure stepped forward.

"Well, well, well," Greyback crooned. "So nice to see you again, Harry Potter."

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	25. Malfoy Manor

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The five prisoners were directed out the back of the van under duress, warned that if they were to try anything they would regret it. Harry didn't doubt it. Greyback would have remembered his mistakes from their last meeting well, he wouldn't make the same ones again.

And even if they tried they would lose. They were outnumbered four to one, unarmed, and at their mercy.

"Hands behind your back, Potter," Greyback snarled and Harry obeyed without complaint, hating being so vulnerable in front of the man as Greyback's hot breath chilled his neck. Rope snapped around his wrists, Harry wincing at the pain as his hands were brought together with unnatural force, and as Greyback pushed him forwards, along with the others, he was just as helpless as they were.

"Move," Greyback snapped to the group, prodding Harry along as he caught up with the others. "Get inside."

Harry looked up.

An opulent manor stood before him, a building so large and impressive that it rivalled that of even Hogwarts. The manor stretched far to both Harry's left and right and, as Harry looked around, he found that it stood within a set of expansive grounds, such that there was not a single building anywhere in view.

Even despite their dire situation Harry couldn't help but find himself struck by such a building, but with dawning comprehension he began to guess at just who this manor really belonged to. And as he was pushed forward, forced up the magnificent stone steps that led to the grand front doors, his suspicions were confirmed.

The main entrance opened up into a beautiful ballroom, stretching all the way through to the back of the building and lit up by sparkling light from the chandelier that hung magnificently over their heads. A grand, carpeted staircase split in two at the far end, leading up to the upper floors, and standing in the middle of the ballroom…

"Well done," said Lucius Malfoy, his eyes glittering. "Well done indeed."

They were standing in Malfoy Manor.

Malfoy's eyes swept past Harry as Greyback stepped forward.

"Where's the Dark Lord?" He demanded. "Is he here?"

"No," said Malfoy simply. Greyback snarled.

"I called ahead…"

"But failed to state the exact nature of your catch," Lucius interrupted smoothly. "Had you explained you had caught Potter I assure you I would have contacted the Dark Lord immediately. But I did not want to waste his time."

Greyback scowled but remained silent.

"I will call him now," Lucius assured him. Greyback's frustration lessened.

"And we'll be sure to remember who gets credit for his capture," Greyback reminded him. "I'm not leaving Potter's side until the Dark Lord returns."

Malfoy's face was impassive.

"Of course," he said smoothly, but there was a cold element to his words that had not been there before. "I will not forget that you caught Potter, with the aid and resources of the House of Malfoy." He paused, his eyes glaring down at Greyback despite the fact they were the same height. "Credit goes where credit is due."

For a moment it looked like Greyback was going to protest. His hands began to curl up into fists, a snarl forming on his scarred face, but a moment later he settled, though not without a look of annoyance.

It seemed that even Greyback respected Lucius Malfoy's strength. If Lucius wanted the credit then he could get it, by force if need be.

Greyback stepped back.

"We should move to somewhere more private," Lucius announced, his eyes sweeping over the open doors and the many men who stood behind Greyback and the prisoners. "Have your men walk our spare prisoners to the cellar, Potter and his friends will come with us."

Greyback let out a whistle and immediately two of his men moved forward. They grabbed Rabbie roughly, each taking ahold of one arm, and they began to drag him away, Rabbie too terrified to fight back.

"And the other one?" Lucius asked. Harry blinked.

Lucius was staring at Sirius and it took a moment for Harry to realise why he couldn't recognise him. Harry had got used to Sirius's new hair and darkened stubble, but Lucius Malfoy was not.

"He was with them," Greyback growled. "I didn't see him last time but he seems like he's part of their group."

"Interesting," murmured Lucius, fixing Sirius with a more searching look. Again he seemed unable to recognise him but there was an uncertainty in Lucius's gaze that made Harry think that something seemed familiar to him.

Lucius turned away.

"Are those their bags?" He asked, looking behind where Harry and the others stood. Two of Greyback's men were holding their confiscated possessions, each carrying a pair of bags, and holding two belts apiece, Pokéballs firmly attached.

"Yes, all except a Pokéball we took from the other one," Greyback growled.

"Then put that in storage," he ordered. "As for the rest, take them along. Follow me."

Lucius Malfoy led the way through Malfoy Manor at a brisk walk. As Harry followed, Ron, Hermione and Sirius behind him, Greyback and his two sidekicks following to make sure they didn't make a run for it, he tried to keep track of where they went through the manor. Up a floor, down a corridor, through a large room that opened onto a second corridor; Harry knew that any information could be crucial for when they finally made a break for it.

But at the moment, hands tied and under close watch, all they could do was follow.

They finally reached their destination.

"In here," Lucius pointed and, as the Malfoy patriarch held the door open for him, Harry walked through the door.

What he saw was both a surprise, and entirely expected.

"Potter?"

Draco Malfoy's exclamation was one of surprise, desperately hidden beneath a note of distaste, as he rose from his seat in the sitting room in which they found themselves. His mother, Narcissa, rose to her feet too, more slowly as she took in the group with a more guarded expression, as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius walked out before them.

The door closed behind them, Lucius disappearing into the hallway once more, and there was silence as everyone stood stock still, no sound but for the ticking of the grandfather clock, and the crackling of the fire under the enormous mantlepiece.

Ever so slowly Draco's mask fell into place, his mind catching up with the evidence that now stood before him. He stepped forward, moving round the sofa to approach the prisoners.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" He wondered, his grey eyes scanning over the prisoners, focusing primarily on Harry. There was a question in his eyes, a plea to know what he should do, but Harry could not tell him. They were both prisoners, in very different ways.

"We caught him," Greyback bit out, not sounding pleased to be dealing with the younger Malfoy.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I was aware of that," he drawled, sounding perfectly like the Malfoy of old as his expression became one of cool indifference. "Believe me, I had not merely assumed that Potter had decided to drop by."

He paused.

"Is that rope?" He asked sharply, noticing their hands. He raised an eyebrow at Greyback. "Really Fenrir? We do not treat guests at Malfoy Manor in this way. Release them."

Greyback snarled.

"I beg your pardon," he snapped. "And let them get away."

"I would think that a room full of talented trainers such as ourselves would be well capable of containing four unarmed prisoners," Draco said with a smirk.

"And who are you to be ordering me around?"

Draco's smirk dropped.

"A man who could have you expelled from this building," he murmured, his cold grey eyes staring at Greyback. "Do not test me, Greyback. You know what I'm capable of."

It seemed Draco had earned a reputation. Though Greyback looked far from happy, growling audibly as he watched the young aristocrat stare him down, he gave in.

"On your knees," he snarled at the prisoners and he pressed down, forcing them one at a time into a kneeling position at Draco's feet. One by one he slashed at their bindings with a knife, releasing them with great reservation, and Hermione, Ron and Sirius gasped in relief as, after hours tied up in the back of the van, they were finally free.

Harry looked up at Draco. His mask was still very well in place, a smirk mixed with cool indifference, and he felt immense gratitude. But there was only so much more he could do. If they were going to get away there was a lot more they'd need.

Greyback scowled at Draco.

"Is that everything, _sir_?" he spat derisively, actual spit flying from his mouth to land on the magnificent carpet. "Everything good for young lord Malfoy?"

"For now," Draco crooned. From behind him Narcissa looked at the ground where Greyback's spittle had landed, an expression of distaste on her face.

Harry tensed. This was his best chance. There were only three men in the room they'd have to take, and if they could knock out Greyback it'd be easy, and it wouldn't be long before all that would change. Harry prepared for action.

"It's done," Lucius announced, entering the room once more. Harry froze. "I have alerted the Dark Lord. He is on his way. He is… most pleased."

Harry felt sick curdle in his belly.

"You two," Lucius snapped. He was pointing at Greyback's henchmen. "Drop the bags and Pokémon by the fire and go join your colleagues downstairs. Your presence is no longer necessary."

Greyback's eyes narrowed. "They are my men, Lucius," he snarled. "I decide where they go."

"Neither of them are even remotely fit for the company of the Dark Lord," Lucius said coldly, casting a dismissive look on the two men. "Either they go, or all three of you go. Your choice."

Again Greyback was given the opportunity to fight. Again he caved.

"Go," he grunted to his men and, reacting immediately to his command, the two men dropped their cargo by the fire and hurried from the room.

The door closed behind them and silence fell once more.

The tick of the grandfather clock rang loud in Harry's ears. The clock was ticking, in more ways than one. Who knew how long it would take for the Dark Lord to get to Malfoy Manor. However long that was, they needed to be gone in a minute less.

Draco shifted.

"So, what now, father?" He drawled, surveying the room. "How long will the Dark Lord be? I am anxious to pass along our gift."

"Patience, Draco," Lucius said smoothly. "The Dark Lord did not say but I assure you, the wait will be worth it. Do no fret."

"And until he arrives?"

Lucius's eyes turned to the prisoners.

"We get some answers," he told them. Harry swallowed. Someone of Lucius's education would recognise an Arceus Plate when he saw one. And if he discovered that, even if they later escaped, it would make it near impossible for them to find the final one.

But Lucius didn't look in the bags. He was much more interested in Sirius.

"It seems like you've got company, Potter," he said as he stepped forward, eyes roving along the line. "Granger and Weasley were to be expected, though it is nice to have it confirmed. But who else have you got with you?" His eyes turned to Sirius. "Who are you?"

Harry kept his mouth shut, hoping Sirius would do the same. He didn't know what use it could be but if Sirius could remain a nameless, unthreatening sideshow then he could, potentially, be overlooked, long enough for him to help get them free.

Sirius remained silent, staring up at Lucius calmly, and though stymied Lucius didn't seem concerned.

"You will answer eventually," he said carelessly. "When the Dark Lord gets here…"

A bang sounded as the door swung open and Lucius's head snapped towards it.

"Oh, what do we have here?"

Harry's blood ran cold at the wicked voice that sounded behind him. There was only one person who could have made this situation worse.

Bellatrix LeStrange stepped into view, stalking around the line of prisoners with her head tilted curiously, her lips curled up with glee. Her eyes danced with wild delight.

"You didn't say you had guests, Lucy," Bellatrix crooned. "It's almost like you didn't want me here." She pouted but if looks could kill the glare she sent Lucius would have left him in a heap.

"Greyback just brought them in," Lucius said stiffly, clearly displeased by her presence, looking decidedly uncomfortable as Bellatrix moved to stand next to him. "And I had more important concerns to worry about, notifying the Dark Lord, for one."

"He's on his way?" Bellatrix asked eagerly, eyes dancing in delight.

Lucius nodded.

Bellatrix squealed.

"Hear that, Potter," she said in a staged whisper, leaning in close as he could do nothing but kneel before her. "The Dark Lord will be here soon. He'll be so happy to see you. He has missed you something dreadful… and he's got a lot to pay you back for. More than I think you have. But don't worry, I'm sure your friends can chip in." Greyback let out a cruel laugh. Harry's insides twisted painfully.

Bellatrix's gaze shifted from Harry and her expression of unrestrained glee turned into a frown.

"Who's this?" She demanded abruptly, turning around to Lucius as she pointed down on the last man on the line. Sirius's disguise may not fool his own mother, but it could certainly fool his cousin.

"We were working on that, Bella," Lucius said stiffly, "before you so rudely interrupted. Now if you could please be quiet we can get back to the matter at hand."

But Bellatrix ignored him. Something about Sirius seemed to have captured her interest and she crouched before him, their faces mere inches apart as they stared unblinking into each other's eyes.

"Who are you?" Bellatrix breathed. "I know you. What have you done? Legion member? I know them all. Foreign? But with such elegant features." Her eyes narrowed.

Harry held his breath.

"Tell me!" Bellatrix snapped, her change of tone sudden and a mere moment later she had a knife held in her grasp, pressed up fiercely against Sirius's throat.

Sirius barely flinched.

"Tell me who you are, mystery man," she demanded. "Tell me who you are so I can put it on your tombstone."

Sirius's eyes looked upon her with cool indifference, and even in the position he was in, on his knees, unarmed, with a knife to his throat, the look he favoured her was one of complete condescension.

Something flickered in Bellatrix's gaze. She flinched back, stumbling as she straightened up, putting distance between them rapidly as recognition finally flooded through her, alongside something else, something Harry had never seen in Bellatrix before.

Fear.

"No," Bellatrix murmured. Her head was shaking, her eyes looking on in disbelief as everyone around her watched in confusion. "No, it cannot be. You… you cannot be here."

She quivered.

"You're dead."

And Sirius could help himself no longer.

"Surprise," he smirked.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.


	26. Chaos Awakened

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

"Oh!" Narcissa gasped, a hand clasping over her mouth as her eyes went wide. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

She sort of had.

Sirius's smirk grew wider.

"Missed me?"

Bellatrix screeched.

"You're supposed to be dead!" She shrieked, throwing herself forward and grabbing a fistful of Sirius's shirt, lifting him off his knees with her knife pressed firmly to his neck. "I killed you! I killed you, you're supposed to be dead!"

"Well," said Sirius, his smirk falling slightly at the knife pressed to his throat. "I never was one for following rules."

Bellatrix gave an animalistic scream.

"Bella, stop!" Lucius cried, stepping forward hastily and grabbing ahold of her knife wielding arm as the furious woman looked ready to spear it through Sirius's neck. "Back down!"

"Bastard!" Bellatrix shrieked, fighting off Lucius, determined to impale the man before her. "I'll kill him! I'll kill him for real!"

But Lucius refused to let go, pulling her back roughly.

"Oh, come on, Lucius," Greyback encouraged, a malicious grin on his disfigured face. "Let her at him. Let us have a little fun."

"No! Stand down, Bella!" Lucius said sharply and he flung Bellatrix backwards, the enraged woman staggering as she came to rest against the back of the sofa.

"The Dark Lord will want to know how this is possible!" Lucius roared, standing between Bellatrix and her target as the woman made to move forward yet again. "Do not kill him! Not until the Dark Lord has his say!"

There was silence in the room. Everyone seemed frozen in place. Sirius knelt on the ground, a small line cut into his neck, while Lucius stood between the two cousins, holding out an arm as if to hold Bellatrix back as the dark haired woman panted heavily.

"Fine," she snapped, her voice angry but her eyes becoming a little less wild. "Then let's not waste our time. Let's find out the truth."

"Bella," Lucius warned. Bellatrix ignored him.

Her eyes scanned the room.

"These their bags?" She questioned, and she moved over to them without waiting for a response. She nudged them with her foot, peering down, and a wide smirk spread across her face. "Let's have a look." And she pulled a bag towards her and ripped it open.

It was Hermione's.

"Oh, yes, I know whose this is," Bellatrix cackled, raising an article of clothing out and displaying it gleefully for the others to see.

It was Hermione's bra.

Greyback grunted in amusement, moving behind the embarrassed and frustrated girl, leering down on her.

"Very respectable, dearie," Bellatrix giggled. "Not bad for a girl your age. But you won't need this. Not where you're going." And she tossed the bra carelessly away.

It landed in the fireplace, slowly becoming devoured by the flames.

Bellatrix was only just getting started. More clothes joined the bra in the fireplace, everything Hermione had being tossed into the flames without a second glance, and it was only once Bellatrix had removed the last sock that she paused once more.

"Maps," Bellatrix announced, her voice a mixture of triumphant and curious, lifting out just one of the many maps Harry and Ron had got for her all the way back at Grimmauld Place. "Lots of them. Where were you going, dearie?"

Hermione refused to answer. Bellatrix didn't seem to care.

"Oh well," she said, and the maps joined the clothes in the fire.

"Bella," Narcissa murmured tiredly, looking rather pained by the mess her sister was making of the grand fireplace. "Is this really necessary?"

Bellatrix ignored her.

"Aha!" She cried triumphantly, her hand disappearing to the bottom of Hermione's bag and latching onto something within. "What do we have here?"

And she pulled out Dumbledore's journal.

Harry's stomach lurched. If Bellatrix read Dumbledore's journal… well, their mission was certainly no longer secret. He shifted, glancing sideways at Hermione. Her face was blank.

"A diary, dearie?" Bellatrix crooned, looking quite delighted by the discovery. It was clear she cared little for discovering what they were doing. All she wanted was to embarrass. "Let's see what we've got here."

And, dramatically, Bellatrix flipped the journal open.

For a long moment Bellatrix stared at the first page. She looked up.

Harry held his breath.

"What is this?" She snapped. She flipped a few pages, eyes glaring down at the journal in annoyance. She scowled.

"Blank!" She cried, waving the journal around, pages fluttering. Sure enough there was not a trace of ink on any of the pages. Harry glanced at Hermione. She didn't seem surprised, but certainly relieved.

It seemed that the effect of Lucario's aura did not work for Bellatrix.

"Ugh!" Said Bellatrix in frustration and she threw the journal to join the rest of Hermione's possessions in the fireplace.

The journal bounced off the stone and landed atop a pile of smouldering clothes. As the flames licked up into the paper, the edges of the pages curling, a spark of blue flashed, unnoticed by most, as Dumbledore's last instructions were destroyed.

Bellatrix picked up Hermione's now empty bag, looking inside it with a disgruntled expression. "How… disappointing." She tossed it into the fire. It fell on top of Dumbledore's journal, shielding it from view.

Bellatrix was already moving to a second bag; Sirius's. She ripped it open with her knife, rifling through it and tossing the clothes out uncaringly, not even concerned that most of the clothes weren't even landing in the fire. Lucius and Narcissa both turned away in annoyance.

Lucius sighed.

"Are you going to do this all evening?" He drawled, turning back to Bellatrix with a disparaging look. "This is not a good look for you. What will the Dark Lord think when he finds you rooting around in the trash like some common muggle."

Bellatrix snarled.

"I'm _serving_ the Dark Lord," she snapped, glaring hatefully at Lucius as she turfed out Sirius's sack of Mega Stones, the items rolling loosely across the ground. "I'm finding what Potter's been up to. What are you doing?"

"Standing here in the knowledge that you won't find anything to satisfy your curiosity," Lucius drawled coolly.

"Don't be so sure," Bellatrix spat and she pulled her arm from Sirius's bag in triumph. Another journal was held in her grasp, though this one wasn't nearly as important as Dumbledore's.

At least not to Harry. Beside him, Sirius shifted where he knelt.

Lucius had fallen silent, not convinced but knowing better than to say anything more while Bellatrix could still be right. He stood back and let Bellatrix open the journal.

"Oh yes," she breathed, her voice prickling with excitement as she looked down at the spidery black ink. "Oh, this is very, very good." She looked up, her eyes gleaming.

"Didn't take you as the sort to keep a diary, Sirius," she ridiculed delightedly. "Thought you were too manly for that."

Sirius growled.

"Read the name," he spat.

With a raised eyebrow Bellatrix did. She froze.

"Regulus," she breathed, her voice changing dramatically as all anger vanished. Lucius and Narcissa snapped their heads towards her. "Oh, Reggie." Her eyes sharpened. She glared down at Sirius.

"Why do you have this?"

"Took it," Sirius grunted unhelpfully, his scowl growing as he watched Bellatrix's reaction. "He was my brother."

"He was nothing to you!" Bellatrix shrieked. "He was ours, a faithful servant, pledging his life to the Dark Lord's cause!"

To the side Lucius Malfoy ducked his head. He steadfastly avoided looking at Bellatrix and Harry thought he knew why. Lucius had been involved in Regulus's mission for the Dark Lord. Lucius knew the truth about where Regulus's loyalties lied.

Sirius, however, would not stay silent.

"He was everything to me!" Sirius roared and, to Harry's shock, he rose up to his feet, facing Bellatrix head on. "He was a good man and nothing like the rest of you scum! How dare you claim his loyalties!" And Sirius stepped forward angrily.

In a flash Greyback was upon him, his arm twisted around Sirius's throat as he pulled him forcefully back to his knees, choking Sirius under the strength of his bulging bicep.

"Oh, no, Fenrir, let him go," cooed Bellatrix, cackling at Sirius's expression as he was forced to his knees before her. "Let him have his shot. Let's see how good it does him." In one hand Bellatrix twirled her blade. In the other a Pokéball rolled in her fingers.

Sirius did not rise to the bait. Pinned under Greyback's brute strength he fell still, even as Greyback released him, fading away into the background once more. The rage was still there, thrumming beneath the surface, but Sirius's control had returned.

But he was not done.

"Read it," he spat, glaring up at Bellatrix, refusing to be cowed. "Go on, read it. See for yourself just whose side Reg was on."

"Sirius," Harry murmured warningly. He knew this was important to Sirius, now that he knew the truth about his brother, but he couldn't push it. If Bellatrix did read it she'd find out about the Splash Plate.

But then again she might find out anyway. Only two bags remained after Sirius's, and in one lay the Arceus Plates.

Bellatrix was staring at Sirius, an unsettling sort of calm on her face, her expression calculating. Sirius glared back, fearless.

Bellatrix tossed Regulus's journal in the fire.

"No!" Sirius gasped, eyes wide as they followed the journal into the flames.

Bellatrix stepped towards him.

"Regulus was loyal," Bellatrix hissed, staring down at Sirius as though daring him to contradict her. "He followed the cause without wavering, served the Dark Lord without hesitation, and no one will dare say otherwise. Not to me."

Sirius remained silent. It seemed the fight was gone. His eyes gazed at the journal, not even giving attention to the furious woman standing over him, with a forlorn look, and he did not say anything.

Bellatrix let out a steadying breath.

"Good," she said, sounding reassured as she straightened up, turning around the room as if to check that nobody else needed convincing. "We are all in agreement."

No one answered her.

She turned back to the bags, grabbing the next in line.

It was Harry's.

In a moment his clothes had been turfed out into the fire. Harry didn't care. There were much more important things in that bag. Harry could only hope that Bellatrix wouldn't understand their significance.

She was certainly interested. She pulled the book, 'Gods on Earth', out, looking confused as to why they would be carrying around such a large, and old, tome. She turned it over, reading the text on the cover, opening it up to scan the first page. She shut it, uninterested.

"For your collection," she said, thrusting the book into Lucius's stomach carelessly. Lucius seemed much more interested in it than Bellatrix had been, even Draco seeming taken by the clearly ancient and valuable tome, but Lucius was forced to simply place it aside as Bellatrix reached to the bottom of Harry's bag and pulled out the final object.

Harry had hoped Bellatrix would not recognise the Odd Keystone for what it was. A hope in vain.

Bellatrix's expression was one of reverence as she looked upon the stone, her breath catching in her throat as she gazed down upon it.

"Oh my," she breathed, her eyes wide. "How remarkable. How beautiful."

Nobody else seemed to know what was so remarkable about the oddly shaped stone, even Lucius, who Harry would have counted on to be familiar with such dangerous, dark artefacts. They watched on in silence as Bellatrix turned the stone over in her hands.

Her gaze sharpened.

"Where did you find this?" She demanded, her voice a furious whisper as she gazed over at the prisoners. "How did you find something so… magnificent?"

Harry remained silent. He couldn't say anything, but the cat was out the bag. When Voldemort arrived, whether they had escaped or not, he would know what they were doing.

Bellatrix's gaze turned back to the Odd Keystone, her eyes wide with awe.

Lucius finally grew impatient.

"Are you going to explain, Bella?" He asked curtly. "Or are you going to leave us wondering why you've taken to worshipping a rock?"

Immediately Bellatrix's eyes narrowed.

"Trust you not to recognise gold when it falls into your lap, Lucius," she sneered. "If you had any idea what I hold in my hands. A hundred and eight tortured souls. A manifestation of pure rage and vengeance ready for direction." Bellatrix shivered in delight.

"You should be careful," Harry murmured softly. Bellatrix's eyes snapped towards him. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

Bellatrix cocked her head to the side curiously.

"You presume to know better?" She asked, genuine interest in her voice. "You believe I do not know the immense power I hold in my hands."

Harry swallowed.

"That being will not fight for you," he warned. "It does not bow to anyone, not you, not me, not anyone. Awaken the beast… and all you'll receive is pain and destruction."

Bellatrix smirked.

"Just what I want," she breathed.

Harry shook his head.

But Bellatrix would not be convinced by Harry.

"To the last," she whispered, picking up Ron's bag and pulling it open. "Let's see what final treats you've got hidden for us."

Desperately Harry glanced at the grandfather clock. It couldn't be long before Voldemort appeared, they'd been here too long already, and as he glanced back at Bellatrix, casting aside Ron's clothes carelessly, he knew they needed to move now.

He caught Draco's eye and for a moment held his gaze. He understood.

A sideways glance over the others caught their attention. They knew what he was thinking too.

Harry prepared to act.

"What do we have here?" Bellatrix murmured and Harry's attention was drawn back to where she was standing. She'd got through the last of Ron's clothing, the fabric scattered around the fire, and had stopped dead, gazing inside. Ever so slowly she pulled out one of the Arceus Plates. The Spooky Plate.

Bellatrix looked from one hand to the other, from the Spooky Plate to the Odd Keystone. A glint shone in her eye.

Harry's eyes widened.

"No!" He shouted, rising to his feet, but he was too late. Bellatrix, with no thought of the consequences of her actions, brought the Spooky Plate and the Odd Keystone together, a crazed smile on her face.

An explosion rent the room. Harry was blown back, nearly falling as the blast caught him, and everyone else shielded their faces automatically as a fierce wind ripped through the room. Bellatrix held the two items in the air triumphantly, wild eyes dancing, and from the Odd Keystone a ghostly figure rose into the air.

Spiritomb appeared in the room and gave an incredible roar.

Another blast shot out, causing everyone to bend double and knocking Bellatrix straight off her feet, the Spooky Plate flying from her grip as the Odd Keystone stayed floating in midair, Spiritomb's form lifting it ever higher over the scene.

"Go!" Harry shouted, springing forward as he felt Hermione, Ron and Sirius leap into action. It was now or never, if Voldemort didn't reach them then Spiritomb would surely finish them off itself, and they had no choice but to make a break for it.

"Dammit!" Ron shouted. He had gone after his bag, only to find it had been blown back into the fireplace. Flames licked eagerly over it, powered up by the Flame Plate inside, and Ron was forced to reach in unprotected to pull the smouldering bag free.

Hermione and Sirius had run the same way, each grasping onto the belts of Pokéballs that lay there, unnoticed, and they ran forward towards a nearby door. What lay beyond it they didn't know, it wasn't the way they had come, but with Greyback recovering behind them they had no choice.

"Harry!" Hermione cried. She was standing by the door now, Sirius at her side as Ron hurried after them, looking back with wide eyes. "Quickly!"

Harry's eyes fell on the Spooky Plate. It lay a few feet away, having landed heavily after being knocked from Bellatrix's grasp, and Harry moved to grab it.

"No you don't, Potter!" Bellatrix cried, throwing herself forward to grab ahold of Harry's wrist. Harry barged into her, using his broader shoulders to knock the crazed woman off her feet.

He staggered upright.

"Come on!" Ron shouted from the door. Hermione was already through and he and Sirius were waiting for him.

Harry's eyes turned to 'Gods on Earth'. It had fallen from where it had been placed, lying at the base of the back of the sofa, but with regret Harry pulled himself away. He had learned all he could from that book. He didn't need it anymore.

"Get him!" Bellatrix screamed as Harry shot off. He bowed his head, thundering forward as a Dark Pulse from Spiritomb went slamming into the wall next to him, showering him with dust and shrapnel, sending the mantlepiece falling into the fire as it cracked in two, but crucially not halting Harry's progress. He reached the door and Sirius, grabbing ahold of his shirt, pushed him through it.

Ron and Hermione were up ahead and they broke into a full on run the moment they spotted Harry following them, Sirius taking up the rear as he slammed the door furiously behind them.

They were in a corridor, one that looked like any other they had walked through previously, and with no idea which way they needed to go to get out they simply ran, as fast as they possibly could. A window stood at the far end, facing out into the pitch dark night from their position on the first floor.

"We need to get out of here!" Ron yelled, his singed backpack smoking as it flailed wildly from his shoulder. "We won't be able to outrun it!" From the sounds behind them Spiritomb would be following any minute.

"We need Gallade!" Sirius roared from the back of the group. "I don't have him! Hermione, is he with you?!"

"I don't know!" Hermione cried, trying desperately to inspect the Pokéballs in her arms as she continued to run. "They all look the same!"

"We've got to find out soon! We're running out of hallway!"

Ron was right. The magnificently luxurious hallway they were running through was very quickly reaching its end and, as they drew closer, Harry realised that once they reached it there was nowhere else left to turn.

Behind them the door exploded outwards, the temperature plummeting as Spiritomb burst from the sitting room behind them, and Harry looked back in fear as the terrifying Pokémon advanced menacingly down the corridor.

He turned back frantically, picking up speed, expecting to see the end of the hallway as they quickly approached. Instead he saw something else.

A figure stood before them, humanoid but most definitely not human, and very familiar.

It was an Alakazam.

Dumbledore's Alakazam.

And a moment later Malfoy Manor disappeared.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	27. The Final Plate

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The four of them came to a sudden stop. The room they had appeared in was much smaller than the long hallway they had been in before, and much like Alakazam it was intimately familiar.

The Headmaster's office at Hogwarts looked exactly as it had the last time Harry had been there, except for one very noticeable difference. The man behind the desk was not Albus Dumbledore.

It was Severus Snape, and he did not look pleased.

"Potter," he snapped, his voice breaking through the stillness of the room. "What is the meaning of this?"

Harry gaped.

"Professor…" he began but words failed him. It was just too much, too much had happened over the last twenty-four hours, and, hungry, exhausted, and battered and bruised, he was simply unable to keep up.

Snape seemed to realise. He paused, an eye running over the group, noting their disheveled state. He turned to Alakazam.

"I see," he murmured, turning back to Harry. He looked over Ron and Hermione too. "I trust you are not hurt, Potter. And Mr Weasley and Ms Granger, too."

Vaguely Harry nodded. Both Ron and Hermione looked even more shellshocked than he did. Hermione was blinking rapidly up at Snape, as if her brain was on the fritz, and Ron stared with his jaw agape.

"Close your mouth, Weasley, you're catching flies."

Ron's jaw clicked shut. He blinked.

"Bloody hell," he murmured.

"Quite." Snape's eyes turned to the final member of the group.

"And who do we have here?"

Dread filled Harry's stomach as he turned to look at Sirius. The old enemies were staring at each other, each of them with an expression just slightly off from they would expect. For Snape there was confusion, as though he was thinking that he should naturally dislike the man that stood before him without being entirely sure why, unable to recognising him. For Sirius, his attitude towards Snape had shifted sharply from the last time they had met.

He took a breath.

"Snape," he said simply.

Snape's eyes narrowed. His mouth opened with a sneer.

"Black," he hissed. He glared upon him with utter contempt.

Harry stepped in.

"There's no time for that," he cut in quickly, just knowing the exchanging of words that could follow. Even as he said this Snape's mouth had opened, and he snapped it shut again sharply, turning his glare on Harry instead.

"Excuse me," he hissed. Harry took a steadying breath.

"I know what you're going to say, sir," he said respectfully, trying his best to keep everything calm. "But please allow me to explain."

Snape said nothing. He just stared with burning, hate-filled eyes.

Harry took a breath.

"Yes, it's him, he's alive," he explained, and Snape's lips twisted in an automatic sneer. "But how is not important right now. We have more pressing things to worry about."

Snape regarded him closely. "Like what, Potter?"

"Voldemort," Harry told him. The man flinched ever so slightly. "He will be coming here, to Hogwarts."

"You are certain?" Snape questioned, his sneer faltering. Harry nodded. He didn't know how much Dumbledore had shared with Snape but he knew it must have been something.

"Sir, Dumbledore gave me a mission," Harry explained quickly. "And now Voldemort will know what that mission is. We need to move quick before he gets here."

"Then flee," Snape told him. "Leave, and complete Dumbledore's mission."

"Sir, it's not that simple," Hermione spoke up. Snape's eyes turned to her.

"There's something we need that's on Hogwarts grounds," Harry explained. "That's why Voldemort will be on his way. He'll be coming for this thing and if he gets to it before we do then we won't be able to beat him."

Snape stared at Harry, and Harry hoped desperately that the old potions master would just take his word for it. But that wasn't their relationship.

It was time to come clean.

"Voldemort's immortal," he explained, noting just a flicker in Snape's eyes as he said so. "And the reason he can't die, that he didn't die when he first tried to kill me, was because of his experiments with the Arceus Plates. We've been collecting them, we've got all but one, but Arceus lives on school grounds and if Voldemort catches it then it won't matter if we find the last Plate or not. If he gets Arceus, then it's over."

Snape's black eyes bored into Harry's. Harry stared back in turn.

"In that case," said Snape, his voice low. He paused. "We shall make Hogwarts a fortress," he decided. "If Hogwarts holds the key to this war then we shall defend it. We'll gather our forces and make a stand."

"We'll need as much help as we can get," said Ron, looking anxiously at the others. "Voldemort isn't going to give up easily. Everything is on the line for him."

"Then we shall alert the Legion," Sirius announced. He looked at Harry. "I know what you've got to do, I won't be long, but I'm going to find Remus and round up as many able bodies as I can."

"I'll inform the teachers," Snape said coolly. "And take care of Professor Carrow."

Harry had forgotten there was a Death Eater still teaching at Hogwarts.

"Do you need help?" Harry asked worriedly.

Snape looked unimpressed.

"With Carrow?" He asked coldly. "Not likely." He strode forward. "I'll see you later, Potter. And please, don't get yourself killed."

And Snape strode from the office, closing the door behind him.

Sirius turned to the others.

"Good luck with Arceus," he said, accepting his belt from Hermione and quickly looping it around his waist, snapping a Pokéball loose. Gallade appeared before him. "I'll find you again as soon as I can get back."

"Take care, Sirius," Harry told him and, nodding, Sirius and Gallade disappeared.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione.

"It's up to us now," he said.

"Just like old times," Ron agreed.

"Let's go," said Hermione.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione found no-one as they hurried through the dark, silent corridors of Hogwarts castle, ignoring the familiarity that jumped out at them with every turn and the comforting warmth it brought with it, as they headed down to the great oak front doors.

Out on the grounds it was warm, despite the lateness of the hour, and somewhat muggy. However the grounds were empty of students, as curfew had long since fallen, and the only sign of life as they scurried across the lawn came from the light that shone through the windows of Hagrid's hut.

Into the forest Harry took the lead down the long trail towards Arceus's lair. He called upon Greninja, the water and dark type familiar with the route that Harry had only travelled on two prior occasions, and he guided them onwards as they passed signpost after signpost indicating their journey deeper and deeper into the forest.

Eventually they reached their goal. They came to a quick stop, the idea of running in Arceus's presence seeming somehow wrong, and slowly approached the darkened hollow.

Arceus stood still, its form unmoving so much that you might be forgiven for thinking it was nothing but a statue, but the powerful presence remained. Beside Harry Ron and Hermione automatically slowed, intimidated by Arceus's regal appearance, and so Harry stepped forward alone, approaching the god Pokémon as Greninja fell into step beside him.

He stopped.

"You have come," Arceus rumbled. "Have you completed your quest?"

"Nearly," Harry told him. "Things have happened that… our plans have changed."

Arceus tilted its head down at Harry curiously.

"You have Plates," it said. "I can feel them."

Harry gestured to Ron, the redhead nervously stepping forward at his command. He pulled the bag from his shoulders, the luggage all but falling apart, material flaking away at his touch after its exposure to the Malfoys' fire, and he pulled the Plates from within.

He handed them to Harry.

"Place them before me," Arceus instructed, causing Ron to halt in his retreat. Tentatively he stepped forward and together he and Harry lay the five Plates they had collected in a small circle before Arceus. The Flame Plate, the Spooky Plate, the Pixie Plate, the Mind Plate, and the Zap Plate.

They stepped back. Arceus looked over the Plates consideringly.

"You have done well," Arceus commended. "Five Plates."

"We planned on gathering them all before returning," Harry told him. "But we were captured and in our escape the Plates were discovered. By now Voldemort will know that we have them."

"And will know they are in need of further protection," Arceus finished for him. It nodded in acceptance. "Very well. It seems the final Plate will be the hardest to obtain, but we have made progress. Stand back."

Harry and Ron stepped backwards quickly, Harry quickly realising what Arceus was planning and pulling Ron out of range. Looking up Arceus raised its head to the heavens, energy building from where his mouth should be, and together Harry, Ron and Hermione watched in silence as an orb of orange energy became visible, burning before them.

"Judgement!" Arceus roared and the orb shot off into the air. It flew straight up, burning like a flare through the night, before it reached the apex of its journey. With beautiful grace it turned, beginning its descent with misleading calm, before it thundered into the ground below.

The Plates rattled violently under the light that burned down upon them. Darkness began to rise up, like when Arceus had cleansed the Splash Plate but multiplied fivefold, and it twisted and writhed as though trying to fight against the energy that tore it away from the Plates.

And then the attack ended. The clearing fell quiet. The Plates were cleansed.

The five Arceus Plates rose gracefully into the air and disappeared one by one behind Arceus's form, and the god Pokémon closed its eyes and let out a long, satisfied sigh.

"It has been a long time since I have felt so whole," Arceus murmured, the pleasure clear in its tone. "Thank you."

"There's still one more," Harry reminded. "We need to get there before Voldemort does, and we don't even know where it is."

Arceus took in a breath.

"But I do," it murmured softly, breathing in the air around it. In the clearing the leaves rustled in an unseen wind. "I can feel it now, it's close. So close I can almost taste it."

"You mean it's at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, excitement flooding through him at the thought. "On school grounds?"

Arceus inclined its head.

Harry turned to the others.

"Quick, where at Hogwarts could you hide an Arceus Plate?" Harry asked them. Ron and Hermione looked at each other blankly. "Come on, any suggestions?"

"Eh," said Ron, put on the spot. "The forest?"

"But surely Arceus would have been able to find it if it were just lying around somewhere out here," Hermione cut in. "I mean, Arceus has lived here for years."

"That is correct," Arceus rumbled. "I highly doubt the Plate would have eluded my grasp on these grounds."

"Then in the castle," Harry reasoned. "But where in Hogwarts would be secure."

"Dumbledore's office?" Ron suggested.

"Dumbledore would have found it if it was in there," Harry reminded him. "No, it has to be some place that no one, not even Dumbledore would know about. A place where only Voldemort would be able to find it." And then it hit him. "Of course."

"Of course?" Hermione repeated sharply. "Of course, what?"

Harry looked at them.

"The Chamber of Secrets."

Ron and Hermione gaped.

"Of course," Hermione gasped. "Only Voldemort knew about where the chamber was hidden. He was proud of it as part of his Slytherin heritage."

"And of course he'd be arrogant enough to believe no one else would be able to find it," Ron added. "He must have loved that it was hidden right under Dumbledore's nose."

Harry turned to Arceus.

"The final Plate, it's the Toxic Plate, right?" He asked. Arceus nodded.

Harry turned to the others.

"This is it," he told them, his breath excited. "The final Plate. We can do this."

Hermione and Ron beamed back.

Quickly Harry turned to Arceus.

"Stay here," he said, aware of the bizarreness of giving Arceus orders. "We'll get the Plate and bring it back to you."

"Be quick," Arceus warned. "If the Plate is hidden in the castle then it will not take long for the Dark Lord to come looking, and looking for me also. You must return the Plate before he does so."

Harry nodded firmly.

Arceus inclined its head.

"Then god speed, Harry Potter."

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione ran back through the forest at breakneck speed, following the path that had led them deep into Arceus's lair. With the long journey into the forest and back it had been at least an hour since they had first arrived at the castle and night had completely fallen, making their journey through the trees all the more challenging.

Once they reached the edge of the forest once more, castle easily in sight, they came to a sudden stop.

The Death Eaters had arrived. They marched up from the Hogwarts gates, an army of dark figures accompanied by swarms of Pokémon buzzing and hissing around them, and they pressed on towards the front steps of the castle, where a small number of diminutive figures had gathered.

"Looks like this is it," Ron muttered darkly and he pulled a Pokéball from his belt, his face set. "Time to battle."

"Not yet," Hermione told him in a hushed whisper, pushing his arm down softly. She turned to Harry. "The last thing we want to do before we get the final Plate back to Arceus is draw attention to ourselves and get bogged down in a fight."

"But we can't just leave them," Ron protested. The Death Eaters were marching on unopposed, closing the gap to where the defenders of Hogwarts stood on the castle steps. From where they hid in amongst the trees Harry could make out the tall figure of Professor McGonagall at the front, her Pyroar by her side.

Harry let out a heavy breath.

"We have no choice," he said. "The longer it takes for us to get the Plate back to Arceus the longer they will have to fight. It may not be easy to leave them to it but we've got to remember, only we know how to take down Voldemort for good. We've got to make sure we do that."

Ron's face was pale at Harry's words, but he understood. For however much they cared for the people that were putting themselves in harms way they had a much more important mission to accomplish.

A figure shifted behind them and instinctively Harry whirled around, a hand going to his belt.

"Hagrid?"

Rubeus Hagrid beamed down at them, his smile stretching wildly behind his bushy black beard as his eyes sparkled with unshed tears of delight.

"Harry!" He boomed, so loudly that Harry worried the Death Eaters might hear him. "Ron! Hermione! You're all alright."

"Yes, Hagrid, we are," Hermione told him in a hushed whisper. "But please, keep your voice down."

"Sorry," Hagrid muttered, but his grin remained. "I'm just so…" he dabbed his eyes with his handkerchief and sniffed loudly. "I'm jus' so glad to see you doin' okay."

"Thank you, Hagrid," said Harry, smiling up at him. "We feel the same."

Hagrid gave a watery smile.

"So," he said, straightening up to his fullest, formidable height, gazing out at the lawn with narrowed, focused eyes. "What's the plan, Harry? Are we comin' or goin'?"

"We need to get into Hogwarts," Harry told him and he turned back to the castle. On the front steps the battle had already begun.

"There's something in Hogwarts we need to find," Harry continued on, swallowing his misgivings as flashes of light and cries of pain wafted towards them. "We need to somehow get into Hogwarts without the Death Eaters noticing."

"So you need a distraction," Hagrid concluded thoughtfully.

"Well, I suppose…"

"Say no more, Harry," Hagrid told him and he strode forward, stepping confidently out from the cover of the trees.

"Hagrid," Harry protested but it was no use. Hagrid had already broke out into a run.

"Come on, Norbert!" Hagrid roared and, now sprinting towards the banks of dark clothed figures, he released the fearsome Salamence. The Death Eaters slowly began to turn, taken aback by the sudden attack on their flank, and as they were slow to react Hagrid leapt into the air onto Norbert's back and they soared up, high into the night air.

"Norbert!" Hagrid roared, his voice echoing across the grounds for all to hear. "Draco Meteor!"

A single sphere was flung up into the night sky, momentarily disappearing against the inky blackness of the moonless night, and for a moment all eyes followed it, and everything went still. Then the attack burst, reaching the apex of its flight and exploding like fireworks, and the stillness on the ground turned to panic as Norbert's attack began to rain down on the Death Eaters' ranks.

Ron chuckled softly.

"I suppose that would work," he murmured.

Harry glanced up at the castle.

"Come on," he said and together they set off through the trees, moving away from the battle raging before them.

The three of them hurried along the edge of the forest, taking great pains to make sure they remained completely out of view of the battle, and eventually the conflict on the front steps of Hogwarts disappeared behind the castle wall and they could look out onto Hogwarts itself with nothing but the lake in their path.

The lake and dozens of Pokémon.

"Bloody hell, they're everywhere," Ron muttered as the three of them peered through the trees, crouched down in the bushes as they watched the Pokémon buzz around.

"I suppose the Death Eaters are trying to surround the castle, keep people from getting out," Hermione suggested, a grim look on her face.

And keep them from getting in, Harry thought grimly. He glanced around.

"There's no other way," he said, mind made up. "We can take them, so long as we don't cause too much of a commotion we'll be fine."

Releasing Charizard, Pig and Flygon was probably more commotion than they would have liked and Harry, Ron and Hermione wasted no time as they mounted their rides and took off towards the castle.

The Pokémon responded immediately.

"Ah!" Ron cried as a swarm of Zubat rushed him, nipping and biting at his exposed skin. He tried to wave them away, protecting his face all the while, and with two arms off Pidgeot's body he toppled.

"Got you!" Hermione cried, Flygon swooping underneath allowing Hermione to grab hold of him tightly, pulling him on behind her. "Flygon, Sandstorm!"

A blast of sand and dust flew through the storm of Zubat, blowing them away as they looked to continue their attack, but unfortunately connecting with Pig too, the poor flying type trapped within the swarm.

"Pig, return!" Ron called, rescuing the Pokémon from his predicament.

The swarm of Zubat began to gather once more. Cautiously Harry directed Charizard down to hover next to Flygon, facing out at the Zubat. Charizard growled.

Hermione looked thoughtful.

"Harry," she said and Harry looked at her. She had a Pokéball in her hand and a determined, but somewhat uncertain expression on her face. "Mega Evolve Charizard."

"What?" Harry asked, bewildered. Hermione did not elaborate.

"Just do it," she pressed and she turned forwards once more. The Zubat were preparing another attack.

Hesitantly Harry reached up to his Key Stone, his other hand resting on Charizard's neck. "Here goes," he muttered and the mega evolution begun. The light from the Key Stone and the Mega Stone snapped together in an instant and Charizard's transformation was over in a flash, his body growing warmer beneath Harry's skin.

Hermione opened her Pokéball. "Noctowl, go!" She called.

The Noctowl appeared. The Zubat attacked.

"Synchronoise!"

From the feathers on Noctowl's head burst a bright light, briefly blinding Harry as it shone all around them. He blinked fiercely, black spots obstructing his vision, and he gaped as, at the exact same moment, each and every one of the Zubat flying towards them dropped like a stone.

A series of soft splashes sounded below.

"What was that?"

Harry quite agreed with Ron's sentiment.

"Synchronoise," Hermione explained, letting out a relieved sigh. "It's a powerful psychic attack but it only effects Pokémon of the same typing as the Pokémon using it. That's why I told you to Mega Evolve, Harry. Only the flying type Zubats were effected." Hermione shook her head. "I had no idea I'd ever get the opportunity to use it."

But she had, and it had been very effective.

"Let's go," said Harry and he urged Charizard onwards. With the Zubat cleared away there was open air ahead of them and as they approached the castle wall, keeping an eye out for any more Pokémon that might try and attack, they searched for an entrance.

But of course there wasn't. Aside from the front doors the only reliable way into the castle would be to dive down to the underground harbour where the Lapras spent the nights, and that would take them a long way from their goal.

That did not mean they couldn't make an entrance. Approaching the second floor Charizard smashed in a window, against Hermione's pained objections, and the three of them jumped through into the corridor beyond, once more back in the hallways of Hogwarts.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

To Brookstar: Thank you for the review. I have got five chapters planned after this one.

Brookstar also left a riddle, which I haven't been able to solve. Maybe others can have a go and leave their suggestions and hopefully Brookstar will tell us whether we're right.

The riddle is below:

Two friends went to a restaurant. They both ordered water. One friend was so thirsty that she got through five glasses of water in the time it took the other friend to drink one. The second friend died. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that all the drinks had been poisoned. Why didn't both friends die?

Until next time.


	28. To The Chamber

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Returning Charizard Harry looked both ways down the corridor. Everything was quiet, they were alone, but unfortunately they were also a long way from Myrtle's bathroom. The right floor but the wrong end of the castle.

"So, which way should we go?" Ron wondered as behind him Hermione returned her Flygon and Noctowl. "I suppose it probably doesn't make much of a difference."

"We should head this way," Hermione told him, pointing off down the corridor. "The other route takes us round the front of the castle and across the marble staircase. If Death Eaters have managed to fight their way into the castle…"

She came to a halt. Voices could be heard from down the corridor, the very way Hermione had been wary of, and they did not sound friendly.

"You lot, take the stairs," a gruff voice sounded. "I saw Slughorn run up that way. He won't be able to keep that up for long. We'll take this route and try and outflank him."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"Okay," said Ron, drawing himself up straight and rolling up his sleeves. "Let's do this." A Pokéball appeared in his hand and burst open. Blastoise appeared before him.

Ron cracked his muscles.

The sound of footsteps was growing nearer.

"I don't know if this is what Dumbledore had in mind," said Ron, lifting his wrist into the air and resting his fingers on the Key Stone held in the wicker bracelet upon it. "But here goes. Blastoise, Mega Evolve."

Light burst through the distance between Pokémon and trainer, sparking through the darkened corridor as it snapped fiercely together, joining the energies of the Key Stone and Mega Stone into one fierce bond, and Blastoise began to change. His form grew larger, his limbs and shell thickening, and his two water cannons merged together to produce one massive cannon that pointed directly towards the end of the corridor, just as the first Death Eaters rounded the corner.

"Hydro Cannon!" Ron roared.

A sphere of water formed from Blastoise's singular, enormous cannon, and crashed into the ground in front of him. A huge wave rose up, high into the air, filling the whole corridor, and it washed towards the Death Eaters who turned in panic, scrambling to get away as the wave picked them up and swept them away.

Ron grinned.

"That," he said, "was brilliant."

"Come on," said Harry. Even though the Death Eaters had been dealt with it would only be a matter of time before someone else came their way, and they had a job to do.

Ron returned Blastoise to his Pokéball and the three of them turned and ran off down the corridor, away from the carnage of Blastoise's attack, and towards Myrtle's bathroom.

They found no one on their journey. It seemed Hermione's prediction of where most of the fighting would be taking place was proving true. Even so the sounds of battle were growing louder as they ran, the yell of voices, the cries of pain, the explosions that rent the whole castle…

"Ah!" Harry cried. The stone beneath his feet had shifted. He was losing his balance as the floor suddenly began to cave, collapsing down to the corridor below under the pressure of a huge explosion.

Ron and Hermione made it to safety, able to jump clear from the affected segment in time, but Harry was left with no other choice than to ride the slab beneath his feet down to where it eventually came to a stop on the floor below.

Dust hung in the air as the stone finally fell still and Harry let out a hacking cough. He seemed to be alone, no movement anywhere around him, and for a sickening moment Harry worried that whoever had caused the collapse had become crushed beneath him. But even as he thought of it the sounds of nearby battle became apparent, flashes of light from down the corridor vaguely penetrating the layer of dust around him, voices shouting in anger.

The hole above him sat gaping.

"Harry?"

Ron and Hermione peered worriedly over the edge, their faces pale, and as the dust began to settle Harry waved hastily up at them to show he was okay.

"I'm alright," he told them, even as he coughed in the process. He waved away at the dust around him. "I'm not hurt."

"Can you get back up?" Ron wondered anxiously. Harry looked around. It didn't look likely.

"Keep going to Myrtle's bathroom," Harry told them, in lieu of answering. A loud bang sounded down the corridor and he glanced briefly over. "I'll catch up if I can but remember, the Plate is our top priority."

Hermione and Ron looked pale but nodded. They understood. And a moment later they were gone.

Harry looked around again, thinking hard. As a result of the mess the corridor had become due to the cave-in it was nearly impossible to recognise where exactly he was, but he knew Hogwarts well enough to make an educated guess. And if he was right then he knew there was a staircase not too far away, one that would lead almost straight to Myrtle's bathroom.

Unfortunately that was also the direction of the ever growing battle. Gritting his teeth Harry turned in the opposite direction.

Running through the corridors of the first floor Harry took in the chaos of the battle around him. Not a single corridor so far on this floor had been left untouched, the one Harry had landed in being the worst of it, and all along his journey burns and scorch marks littered the walls and ground, and sometimes more.

Harry came to a stop as he found himself at what appeared to be a dead end. Much like the corridor in the second floor it appeared as though the floor here had caved in, the rest of the corridor lying just out of reach ahead of him, although on this occasion the damage seemed to have been done externally. A large hole sat in the castle wall, cold air whistling through, and as Harry stood there he could see out over a small sliver of the castle grounds.

He could try to jump it, but why take the risk. There were other corridors he could take and, thinking of one, Harry turned back.

"Stop right there, Potter."

Harry froze. As he turned to go back the way he had come he came face to face with none other than Fenrir Greyback. His expression was fixed in a scowl, the smug superiority from Malfoy Manor lost, and as he stood there, his scarred face glaring down at him, his Kabutops and Gliscor stepped forward to his side.

Harry glanced back, down at the corridor below him. It was a big drop, and one Harry wouldn't have dared attempt as anything other than a last resort.

"Don't try anything," Greyback growled and he took a step forward. A clicking noise sounded as Gliscor snapped his pincers and Kabutops clinked his blades together. "You and me have a score to settle."

"If you want to have a go at Harry, you'll have to go through me."

Greyback turned.

In the corridor behind him stood Sirius, Gallade by his side. His face was hard, his eyes flashing dangerously, and even Greyback seemed wary. He took a half step back, putting his Pokémon between them

Sirius looked past Greyback to Harry.

"Go," he said, his voice firm and accepting no arguments. "I'll take it from here." And he pressed a finger to the ring on his left hand. "Gallade, Mega Evolve!"

Harry took that as his cue. Not bothering to hang around to see Gallade's Mega Evolution Harry turned and, facing the gaping hole in the side of the corridor, he pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it into the night. Charizard appeared, hovering in place, and, taking a few running steps, Harry jumped, soaring through the air to land with a thump on Charizard's back.

Charizard roared, his dark skin burning warmly as Harry pulled himself up behind his wing joints, and the fire draconic beast soared off into the night.

As the cool air whipped through Harry's hair a single thought went back to Sirius. There was no time for him to check, Harry had an important job to do, but even though he remained resolute a large part of him insisted that he turn back and come to Sirius's aid.

A jet of water shot over his shoulder, narrowly missing and snapping Harry from his thoughts. He turned.

In the hole in the castle wall where they had just escaped stood Kabutops, glaring out at them with small, narrow eyes, and as Charizard flew away the rock and water type began to scale the wall, scuttling after them with the aid of its blade like arms, its gaze focused unwaveringly right at Harry.

"Flamethrower!" Harry shouted and Charizard's fiery attack billowed, burning down towards the Pokémon.

But it had no effect. The Kabutops scurried right through the flames as though they weren't there and as it appeared out on the other side of the attack it crouched down against the wall and launched itself through the air, directly towards Charizard.

Charizard roared, shaking himself angrily as Kabutops latched its sword like arms around Charizard's body, using his neck and wing joints to cling on tight, refusing to be shaken loose. From its position hanging from Charizard's belly Kabutops locked its eyes with Harry's.

"Ah!" Harry cried out as the Pokémon took a swipe at him, a blade arm missing by mere inches as he flinched back. Below Kabutops overbalanced, now hanging on by only one arm, and Charizard grabbed at it with a roar, trying his best to pull it loose.

But Kabutops clung on. As Charizard tried to toss it aside Kabutops took ahold of his arm instead, refusing to be shaken, and as it began to secure its position once more the Pokémon began to crawl its way up Charizard's body, back towards Harry.

Harry grabbed a Pokéball.

"Pikachu, go!" He shouted, the electric mouse appearing before him in the limited space on Charizard's back, just as Kabutops's head peered over Charizard's shoulder. "Thunderbolt!"

The electric attack caught Kabutops by surprise and before it could strengthen its grip Kabutops was blasted backwards through the air, colliding harshly with the walls of Hogwarts and slipping down before it could regain its grip.

Coming to a halt, electricity sparking over its form, Kabutops turned to glare up at Harry. Slowly, wincing heavily, it began to climb back up.

Kabutops refused to give up, Harry realised. It would chase him forever if it had to. Unless Harry did something to properly, finitely, deal with it.

Harry turned Charizard towards the castle walls.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Harry called and the electric type leapt atop Charizard's head to blast another bolt of electricity into Kabutops's form, the Pokémon wincing in pain, stopped in its tracks as it was forced to bear the brunt of the attack. "Charizard, Focus Punch!"

Charizard's attack struck Kabutops with a sickening crunch. The Pokémon was flattened into the wall, the stone behind it cracking from the blow, and Kabutops's form fell still.

As Charizard pulled away Kabutops's body fell lifelessly from the castle walls, disappearing down out of sight to the lake below.

A splash echoed up to them.

Harry took in a shaky breath.

"Thanks," he said, looking gratefully at Pikachu as he patted Charizard's neck. He steeled himself, taking another deep breath, and focused. "Pikachu, return." Pikachu disappeared into his Pokéball and a moment later Harry directed Charizard to kick off away from the castle wall.

"Come on," he said. "Let's find our way inside."

Charizard soared, his wings catching on the soft breeze of the night, and he swooped around the castle, looking for a suitable place to enter once more. However, as they went, they came across a rather peculiar sight.

A long slide of solid ice rose up through the sky before him, stretching from the castle high above all the way down to the lake, where a large block was floating, surrounded on all sides by Lapras. And on this block of ice stood a man, a man Harry would have struggled to recognise from a distance but for the enormous snorlax sitting next to him.

Oliver Wood was gesticulating up to the castle and Harry, following the ice slide towards where Wood was indicating, found that it stretched up all the way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Next one!" Wood shouted. As Harry watched a small boy, no older than eleven, appeared in one of the windows, his face very pale, and with some prodding from the people behind him he pulled himself up onto the ice slide and began his journey down. For several seconds he slid along the ice, gathering speed, before he shot off the end, sliding across the ice platform on the lake before colliding with Snorlax's massive form and coming to a stop with a slight bump. Wood, all action, quickly lifted the boy off his feet and plonked him on the back of one of the waiting Lapras, which immediately took off across the lake towards the boundary wall.

They were evacuating students, Harry realised with a well of relief in his chest, silently impressed by the elaborate set up they'd worked out in the short time they'd been given. Even so he worried how much longer such an escape could remain unnoticed. There were a lot of students at Hogwarts, Harry had no idea how many had already been evacuated, and already the slide was under threat.

Much like when Harry, Ron and Hermione had first flown over to the castle there was Pokémon everywhere. In the water the Lapras had formed a protective ring around Wood's island, a couple of Lapras forming a guard to the students being taken away, while up above flying types were doing everything they could to chip away at the ice slide and disrupt their progress.

The only reason they hadn't succeeded was the Pokémon that took up the defence. As Harry watched Parvati's Dragonair knocked back a persistent Skarmory while Lavender's Vivillon, Wood's Pelipper, Dean's Glalie and Colin Creevey's Magneton circled the slide, firing off attacks to repel the onslaught of Zubat, Golbat, Spearow, Woobat and Ninjask that buzzed angrily around them.

For a moment Harry thought about helping, a hand already going to Talonflame's Pokéball, but common sense got in the way. He had a mission, one more important even than the innocent lives that were under threat, and the Gryffindor students up in the tower seemed to be doing a good job anyway of keeping the evacuation going.

He turned to leave.

A loud roar sounded suddenly through the night, a cry so ferocious that it sent a chill down Harry's spine and he turned towards it. A Garchomp charged through the sky, it's dark skin allowing it to blend in almost unnoticed through the darkness, and as it barrelled forward the Pokémon defending the ice slide were forced to scatter in panic, unable to stand in its path, and it smashed through, ice falling everywhere as the slide collapsed, just as a young girl pushed off.

The terror on the girl's face was obvious even at a distance. A moment later she began to fall.

Instinctively Harry went into a dive, realising quickly that Charizard wouldn't be fast enough to catch her but knowing he could not leave her to fall to the unforgiving lake below. He had to try.

A beam of ice shot past Harry's shoulder and he turned, looking down at the water below. The Lapras were coming to his aid.

Spreading out across the surface of the lake the school of Lapras as one fired their Ice Beam attacks towards a single, specific point, and as they did ice began to form there. The girl landed with a hard thump, bouncing slightly as she began to slide as ice spread out before her, guiding her safely down to lake level. As she came to the end one of the Lapras swooped in, positioning itself just in time for the girl to fall onto its back.

The girl grasped on gratefully, tears in her eyes, and, relieved, Harry turned back to the source of the problem.

The Garchomp was turning again, roaring and spitting angrily, and now Harry could see the figure on its back. He'd never met him before, but even so his picture in the Daily Prophet when he'd been broken out of Azkaban made him instantly recognisable.

Rabastan LeStrange.

Harry directed Charizard forward as Garchomp began to charge in for another attack. "Dragon Rage!"

Garchomp pulled up sharply, the ball of fire and fury billowing past it, and from atop Garchomp's back Rabastan LeStrange glared down into the darkness as Harry rose to meet him. His eyes narrowed.

"Potter!" He spat.

Harry said nothing. Behind him he could hear the Lapras going to work, rebuilding the slide that Garchomp had so easily destroyed, and Harry knew that the only way it was ever going to be serviceable again, the only way they were going to be able to use it to evacuate what was left of the students, was to make sure Rabastan was no longer around to destroy it.

Rabastan sneered.

"Nothing to say?!" He shouted aggressively. "Bellatrix said you had a mouth on you. Where's that gone, eh Potter?!"

But Harry wasn't in the mood. He was exhausted, and starving, and the stakes were just too damn high. He wasn't going to play Rabastan's game.

He steeled himself, and he noticed Rabastan do the same, clearly thinking along the same lines as Harry. This was precisely the sort of situation Harry was trying to avoid but in this instance he had no choice. He prepared to attack.

A roar rumbled across the grounds, startling both trainers and stopping them in their tracks, and as one they turned to look to where it came from.

James Potter's Charizard soared through the night air, his skin seeming to glow with a fiery light that burned through even the darkness. As he appeared a soft twinge went through Harry's Key Stone and he grasped it instinctively, looking out as the magnificent Pokémon, Mega Charizard Y, met his gaze.

And that wasn't all. Almost as if he knew what was coming Harry looked down at the grounds below and sure enough there they were. Rapidash's fiery mane lit the air as it galloped along the bank of the lake, accompanied by its compatriots, the harder to spot but no less determined Stantler, Sawsbuck and Typhlosion.

"Stone Edge!"

Harry's head jerked back around, just in time to see Garchomp unleash the deadly rock type attack in Charizard Y's direction, the fire and flying type forced to swoop up to avoid it.

"Flamethrower!" Harry commanded, coming to the Pokémon's aid as he instructed the Charizard beneath him to let loose the attack, just as Charizard Y fired down a Dragon Pulse.

Both attacks struck, Garchomp roaring in pain, and briefly Harry caught a glimpse of Rabastan's wild, hate filled eyes before they turned to him.

"Dragon Claw!" Rabastan spat and Garchomp charged forward, Harry and Charizard X in his sights.

"Focus Punch!" Harry cried out. Charizard roared.

The two Pokémon threw themselves forward with reckless abandon, each attack hitting with neither caring to put up any defence, and Harry was forced to grasp tightly onto Charizard's neck as he threatened to topple over in the air.

Across from him Garchomp was gnashing his teeth angrily and on his back Rabastan was clutching his face. It seemed the recoil from Charizard's attack had smacked into him and blood was pouring from his mouth. He glared hatefully at Harry.

"Just you… Ah!"

A beam of ice struck his leg, causing Rabastan to forget his face in favour of clutching ahold of that instead, and as he tried to recover more Ice Beam attacks soared up at him, colliding with Garchomp's form and causing it to roar in pain.

The Lapras had finished rebuilding the slide and now, floating towards the battle with anger in their usually soft gaze, they fired up attack after attack at Garchomp. Slowly, as Ice Beam after Ice Beam connected, the Pokémon began to freeze over.

"No!" Cried Rabastan, panic on his face as he realised what was happening. He tried to jump free of Garchomp's rapidly freezing form but his leg had already become firmly stuck in place. Instinctively he tried to pull it free only for his hands to become frozen too. The ice spread all across Garchomp's and Rabastan's body, surrounding them completely, before the attacks came to a suddenly, silent stop.

Like a dead weight Garchomp and Rabastan fell to the lake below, hitting the water with an almighty splash, and a moment later they sunk out of view.

They did not resurface.

"Harry!"

The call had come from the Gryffindor Common Room and Harry looked up to see Lavender Brown's head poking out at him, her eyes wide. Quickly Harry guided Charizard towards her.

"Is everything alright?" He asked as Charizard hovered by the window. Parvati was a couple of windows further along, helping the next student that needed to be evacuated, but she glanced his way constantly, clearly listening to their conversation. "Where are the others?"

"Fighting," Lavender told him and Parvati flinched. "Dean, Seamus and Neville are all down there. And so are Colin and Ginny. We tried to stop them but they are part of the DA. Most of the others are fighting too. Though we did manage to stop Dennis."

"Good," said Harry, though the news felt anything but good. He didn't want them to be fighting, he didn't want them to be put in harms way, but of course they would. He had never truly suspected otherwise. Still, it was a different matter altogether to know for sure.

"They left us in charge of evacuating students," Lavender continued. "We've got students from all houses here, even Slytherin, but we know there are others still in the castle."

"If I find any I'll send them your way," Harry assured her. "Keep up the good work." And, with no more time to waste, Harry directed Charizard away from the window.

"Good luck, Harry!" Lavender shouted after him and, taking heart in her support, Harry turned his full focus back to the matter at hand.

Not far away a hole sat in the castle wall. It was the fifth floor, quite a distance from where he needed to be, but lacking any better options Harry directed Charizard down towards it.

The difference between this part of the castle and the lower floors was staggering. Apart from the gap that had been blown in from the wall, caused by damage outside rather than in, the rest of the corridor Harry landed in appeared almost completely untouched. The battle had not reached this far up, at least not yet, but you could hear the commotion from the lower floors. There was no time to waste.

Returning Charizard Harry set off down the corridor. There was a staircase just around the corner, one that would take him all the way down to the third floor, and once there he'd be well on track for Myrtle's bathroom.

"Hold it."

Harry came to a stop. Just as he'd turned the corner, the staircase well in sight, he found his way blocked by two of the least likely people he could ever have imagined.

Crabbe and Goyle.

"Get out of the way," Harry told them shortly. He could deal with them if he wanted but he didn't have the time to waste.

But as he took a step forward it became clear the two of them were not going to be cooperative. They released a Pokémon each, the Pokémon standing stubbornly before their trainers, and immediately Harry went on guard.

"What makes you think we'll listen to you," Crabbe grumbled, his Weezing hovering before him.

"You're not going anywhere," said Goyle. His Boldore took a few scurried steps forward, clicking his appendages menacingly.

Harry considered. Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't be a threat, not unless something drastic had happened over the last year. All Harry had to decide was the most efficient way of dealing with them.

"Didn't you hear us?" Crabbe grunted, looking annoyed. "We're here to take you to the Dark Lord."

Despite himself Harry laughed, the very last action Crabbe and Goyle had expected, and they regarded him more carefully.

Meanwhile Harry thought over his plan. Weezing could be an issue, a naturally strong defensive Pokémon, but Lucario's steel typing would prevent him from being poisoned and Boldore wouldn't be a problem at all.

Harry reached for Lucario's Pokéball.

"What's all this?" A familiar drawl sounded from behind him and, startled, Harry turned.

Draco Malfoy was strutting down the corridor behind him, smirking broadly as he looked over the scene. Catching Harry's eye he raised an eyebrow.

"Draco," Goyle gasped, his voice surprised. "S'been a while." He let out a genuine smile.

"Look who we caught, Draco," Crabbe said triumphantly, pointing at Harry. "Potter!"

"Yes, I can see, Crabbe," Malfoy said dismissively. "Now why don't you be a dear and hurry off. I'll take it from here."

"Eh," Crabbe grunted, a look of confusion on his face.

"I will deal with Potter," Malfoy said slowly. "You have done well. I will tell the Dark Lord of your work."

"But I thought we could take him in together," said Goyle, looking put out.

Crabbe, on the other hand, was furious.

"You're trying to steal our glory," he grumbled, pointing an accusatory furiously at Malfoy. "We caught him, not you. We get the glory."

"And while I'd like nothing more than to watch you attempt to bring Potter in," Malfoy drawled, "that would be a huge waste of time for all of us. You really think you have what it takes?"

"Liar," Crabbe spat. "That's just typical for you, isn't it Draco. Just like a Malfoy, trying to take everyone's glory."

"Alakazam," Malfoy said simply. His psychic type appeared in a flash.

Crabbe fell silent.

"Don't make me tell you again," murmured Malfoy, his voice menacing. "Step aside."

Crabbe remained silent, but he did not do as asked. Goyle, meanwhile, was looking worriedly between Crabbe and Malfoy, torn between who to follow. It seemed that with Malfoy gone Crabbe had become the leader.

Suddenly Crabbe let out a grunt.

"No," he said, his voice belligerent. "You've always done this, Draco, always taken the credit for our work. No. You want Potter, you'll have to take him from us. Weezing…"

But before Crabbe could give a command a bright pink light surrounded his Pokémon. For a moment Weezing hung in place, before it was tossed carelessly into the wall.

It hit the floor with a thump.

Malfoy turned to Goyle.

"And what about you?" He asked, his voice cool. Glancing sideways at Crabbe Goyle, reluctantly, returned his Pokémon.

Satisfied, Malfoy strode forward.

"You're welcome, Potter," he drawled, a smirk on his face as he came up next to Harry.

"I was fine without your intervention," Harry reminded him.

"Of course," drawled Malfoy.

A strangled gasp echoed from down the corridor. Harry and Draco turned.

"You…" Crabbe was standing rigid in place, a finger pointed at Malfoy with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Slowly the reality of the situation was beginning to dawn on him. "You're with him."

Harry glanced sideways at Malfoy. His smirk had vanished, replaced by a look of unimpressed indifference. He was completely done with this.

"Yes, Crabbe, I have played you," he drawled disinterestedly. "I was secretly good all along. Surprise."

Crabbe stammered. Then his face went scarlet.

"You… traitor!" He snapped, spit flying from his mouth as all inhibitions were lost. "You backstabbing… you've betrayed the Dark Lord. You…" But Crabbe fell silent. Alakazam had teleported in front of him.

Malfoy stepped forward slowly.

"Oh no, Crabbe, please do continue," he drawled, his voice low and dangerous, looking down his nose at the boy who was only a couple of inches shorter he was. "What was I again?"

"Traitor," Crabbe gasped, his anger waring with his sense of self preservation. "Disgrace to your family."

"Oh no, I am the _saviour_ of my family," Malfoy told him. "You wouldn't understand, how could you? There is so much more going on than has ever been comprehended in your minuscule, pathetic excuse for a brain. Don't think you know anything."

"I know you, Malfoy," Crabbe murmured, brave enough to fight even as he cowered under Malfoy's glare. "You're weak. You hide behind your father. You've been jealous of Potter ever since we went to Hogwarts. You haven't changed sides because you're smart. You did it cause you're scared. A coward. A disgrace to all of us."

"And you are?" Malfoy asked icily.

Crabbe never got the opportunity to respond. As Malfoy's eyes bored into him his began to fall closed, and soon enough Alakazam's powers had overwhelmed him completely. He slumped to the floor.

"That's what I thought."

Malfoy turned away from Crabbe, with a finality that spoke of more than just what could be seen. It was the end of a friendship. He turned his gaze briefly on Goyle, his eyes softening ever so slightly, before he turned again. He walked back towards Harry as Goyle, too, slumped under Alakazam's control.

"You left me in quite a state," Malfoy said coolly. The playfulness in his voice had long gone. "Why did you feel the need to bring something like that into my house?"

"I don't think I had very much say in the matter," Harry reminded him. "If you are looking for someone to blame for what happened, then it is Bellatrix."

Malfoy gave a simple nod of agreement. A grim expression settled on his face.

"She brought it with her," he murmured, his expression dark as he caught Harry's gaze. "She made a deal. It wants to kill you, and she can take it where it needs to go."

Harry swallowed. It was the price he payed for having decided to bring Spiritomb with them after finding the Spooky Plate. He would rather not face the malevolent Pokémon ever again, but it seemed that he'd have to one last time.

"I'll keep an eye out," he said, grimacing at the thought of the destruction it could be causing. "In the meantime there's somewhere I need to be, something that is vital to the war effort, and I need to get there as quickly as possible."

"In the castle?" Malfoy questioned, his voice businesslike. "Where?"

"The girl's bathroom on the second floor."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"I imagine it's better that I don't ask," he said. He turned back down the corridor. "Alakazam."

A moment later Alakazam was by their side and in another moment the fifth floor corridor had faded from view, to be replaced by Myrtle's bathroom.

* * *

**A/N:** That's it for now. In the next chapter we will pick up right where we left off.

As for the riddle of the last chapter there's been a few good responses. I personally like the idea of the poison being in the ice, but we'll have to wait and see from Brookstar if that's right.

We also got a new riddle, thanks to DelugeLeader 666. See below:

_There are 40 cows on a farm. 28 chickens. How many didn't?_

I think I've got this one, though I'll keep the answer to myself for now. All I can say is that if I'm right those would be some very weird cows.

Anyway, if you enjoyed the chapter please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Until next time.


	29. Hogwarts At War

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

For a moment Harry didn't react. He had not considered that getting to Myrtle's bathroom would be so easy. But as soon as he realised where he was he rushed forward.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy wondered, sounding quite incredulous as Harry fell to his knees before the row of sinks, his hands flying over the piping below.

"There's a switch," Harry explained without looking up. "It opens up a tunnel behind these sinks, I've used it before. Aha!" He'd found it.

He pulled.

The sinks began to move. The one directly in front of Harry, rattling as though caught in a tornado, began to descend into the ground, revealing behind it the oh so familiar tunnel leading to the Chamber of Secrets.

"What on earth were you doing looking for secret tunnels in a girl's bathroom?" Malfoy asked, looking down at Harry as though seeing him in a new light. "Where does this thing go, and how did you of all people find it?"

Harry paused, biting his lip. A quick explanation seemed appropriate.

"Remember how in second year everyone thought the Chamber of Secrets had been opened," Harry said, seeing Malfoy nod hesitantly as immediately he started to put the pieces together. "Well, it was. It's down here."

"What?" Malfoy spluttered. "The Chamber of Secrets… in a girl's bathroom."

"Crazy, I know, but it's the truth," Harry told him. "Fifty years ago Tom Riddle, or as you know him, Voldemort, opened the Chamber and released Slytherin's Seviper, which ended up leading to the death of a girl." Harry glanced away from Malfoy. "That girl there."

Malfoy, frowning, turned to look where Harry had gestured.

"Ahhh!"

Malfoy leapt into the air, flinching back, stumbling, until his back was pressed up against the wall as he stared in horror up at the ghostly form of Myrtle floating before him.

Myrtle giggled.

"Hello, Harry," she said, waving over at him with a small blush.

"Hi, Myrtle," said Harry. He looked at Malfoy. "Meet Draco Malfoy."

Malfoy gaped at Harry, looking between him and the ghost as though he'd well and truly lost his mind.

Myrtle didn't pay Malfoy a second look. Instead she floated towards Harry, an overly sweet smile on her face.

"How are you, Harry?" She asked. "It's been such a long time…"

"Yes, it has," Harry agreed. So long that it seemed he'd forgotten how annoying Myrtle could be. "Listen, Myrtle, I'm sorry, I don't really have time to catch up." He turned to Malfoy.

"Come with me," he said, gesturing the boy forward. "Alakazam will be useful once we're on our way out."

"But I've got a message," Myrtle interrupted. Harry paused.

"From whom?" He asked warily.

"Those friends of yours," said Myrtle and Harry's heart leapt. "Ginger and the bushy haired know-it-all."

A strange sort of snorting noise sounded from where Malfoy crouched. Harry ignored him.

"What did they say?" He asked eagerly.

"Oh, I don't know," said Myrtle in a vague, airy voice. "There's just been so much going on, who can really remember?"

"Myrtle," Harry said warningly. Myrtle seemed to get the picture.

"They've got the Plate," she told him. "They said for me to tell you if you were to drop by that they are going to try and get it back to Arceus."

"Back to Arceus," Malfoy muttered softly, looking completely overwhelmed. "Of course he knows Arceus."

Harry, meanwhile, let out a sigh of relief.

"Then everything is going to plan," he said. He rose to his feet, straightening up, and as he did so he flicked the switch once more, causing the sink to rise back into place.

"Come on," he said, pulling Malfoy to his feet as he made for the door. "It's time to fight."

* * *

When Harry and Malfoy stepped out from Myrtle's bathroom it was to complete chaos. Fighting had spread well past the second floor now, meaning that no matter which way you turned you were almost bound to find Death Eaters baring down.

Harry was already in the thick of battle, Greninja out ahead of him as they ran down the length of a third floor corridor. Malfoy had been left behind, engaged in battle with Thorfinn Rowle and his snarling Luxray, but Harry wasn't worried. From the glittering amulet around his neck Malfoy had grasped his Key Stone and the light had been met by the Mega Stone sitting like a gem on Alakazam's chest.

"Harry!"

From around a corner in front of him Dean Thomas had appeared and as he ran he grabbed hold of Harry, pulling him back as a blast flew feet from them.

He dropped a Pokéball into the opening.

"Bouffalant, Head Smash!"

The enormous normal type Pokémon appeared in a flash of red light and went charging with reckless abandon down the corridor out of sight, cries of pain and panic proving that he'd made his mark.

With the corridor beyond falling silent Harry and Dean stepped around the corner.

"Bloody hell!"

Seamus was lying on the ground, pulling himself free from a pile of loose rubble, and he looked up gratefully as together Harry and Dean pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks for the save," he muttered, dusting himself down. His Infernape dropped down from the wall beside him, having successfully escaped Bouffalant's charge.

Further up the corridor Bouffalant was snorting, pawing the ground as he glared off to where the Death Eaters had fled. From the sounds of it they weren't coming back anytime soon.

Seamus turned to Harry.

"Holy heck!" He swore, as though only just noticing him. "You're really here. There's been rumours going round but I couldn't believe it until I saw you."

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Asked Dean.

"Somewhere," Harry said vaguely. Hopefully back with Arceus by now. "We got split up a while back. I haven't seen them since."

"Neither have we," said Seamus. "But it'd be easy to miss them. It's madness here."

As if to punctuate Seamus's point a loud explosion sounded, the whole castle shaking beneath their feet as a nearby window smashed, spraying glass across the corridor.

Nothing followed. The boys could lower their guard.

"We're working on getting all the students evacuated," said Dean, explaining to Harry as he brushed off his shirt. "We're trying to get them all out of the castle as quickly as possible. We're using Gryffindor Tower as the exit point. Parvati and Lavender are in charge of sending them down to the Lapras on the lake."

"Yes, I'm aware, I've seen them," Harry told him. "It's a good idea and seems to be working, although if Death Eaters decide to target them it could be a problem. We've already had to fight off Rabastan LeStrange."

Dean and Seamus shared a grim look.

"That's why we've got to be quick," said Dean. "We've already got most of the students in the Common Room, but we know there are some still stuck on the lower floors. We just ran into Ginny…"

"You saw Ginny," Harry cut in, sharply.

Dean looked taken aback.

"Yeah," he said, his tone slightly uncertain from Harry's reaction. Shaking himself, Harry waved for Dean to continue.

"Well, anyway, she's up on the floor above us now," Dean continued, regaining his stride. "But when we bumped into her she said she saw two students hiding nearby. She couldn't reach them without drawing attention so we said we'd have a look."

"Let's go then," Harry said swiftly. They'd wasted enough time standing around.

Together the three of them jogged forward, Bouffalant leading the way flanked by Infernape and Greninja with the three boys taking up the rear.

It didn't take long to reach their destination and it was obvious from the moment they stepped into the corridor. Dust hung in the air, added to it with smoke from the many explosions, and as they blindly stepped forward Bouffalant was forced to shrug off a couple of Pokémon that had seemingly only bumped into him by accident. Through the sounds of battle raging around them Harry could make out the melodic tone of Kingsley Shacklebolt and the high pitched squeak of Professor Flitwick, but that's not what they were looking for.

"There," Seamus barked, pointing down the corridor to a small alcove, and the three of them hurried off towards it.

Hidden in the small space behind a suit of armour, missing both an arm and its head, cowered two boys, their eyes wide with terror as they gazed out at the chaos that surrounded them.

As the three Gryffindors approached they turned their frightened eyes on them and gaped.

"Are you hurt?" Dean asked, crouching before them. The two boys did not answer, barely noticing that Dean was there as they stared up in wonder at Harry.

"It's alright," Harry assured them softly, crouching down by Dean's side. "We're here to get you to safety. Dean and Seamus here are going to take you away so you can be evacuated."

Relief blossomed in the boys' eyes and they shakily nodded.

"Good."

"Guys," Seamus called, his voice tight. "We have a problem."

Harry and Dean turned.

Harry had already encountered one infamous Death Eater he hadn't faced before. Now he had found another.

Antonin Dolohov was walking through the dust, his stride purposeful, standing tall even as attacks continued to fly all around him. Two Doublade proceeded him, floating steadily, unflinchingly forward, and as a Pokémon jumped into his way the Doublade lashed out with cold efficiency, clearing Dolohov's path.

All the while Dolohov remained untroubled, his gaze focused firmly on Harry.

Without needing direction Greninja and Infernape launched themselves forward, moving to intercept the Death Eater before he got too close, and before Dolohov the two Doublade braced for impact.

A Flamethrower from Infernape was blocked by one Doublade's shield while the other one unfurled its blades to meet Greninja head on, meeting and deflecting each of Greninja's Night Slashes with a Night Slash of its own.

"Dean, let's get out of here," Seamus growled as the battling Pokémon found themselves in a holding pattern, Infernape joining in with the hand to hand combat.

"Come on," said Dean, managing to sound both commanding and comforting at the same time as he turned to the two boys. Neither of them looked able to react but that didn't matter as, one at a time, Dean lifted them up into the air and plonked them on Bouffalant's back.

"Hold on tight," Dean instructed as he climbed on behind them and a moment later Dean, Bouffalant, and the two boys had thundered off down the corridor, disappearing into the dust.

Harry turned to Seamus.

"Follow him, he'll need your help," Harry told him. "I've got your back." Seamus snorted.

"Not a chance."

"Go," Harry pushed. "I'll be fine but Dean needs your help, the students need your help."

A cry of pain sounded as Infernape took a blow to the chest, briefly pushed back before he recovered to leap into action once more.

Seamus grimaced.

"The only way I'm going anywhere is if you're coming with me," Seamus said stubbornly. "You've been gone too long, I'm not going to leave you to fight alone again."

Harry couldn't argue. He couldn't make Seamus go and, truthfully, he knew it was the wrong call. But he could not help himself. He did not want him to get hurt.

But Seamus had made his decision. All Harry could do now was make sure he didn't regret it.

A whooshing noise sounded as something shot past Harry by inches, nothing but a blur, and instinctively Harry ducked, turning his head to follow whatever had wizzed past him and watching as it flew straight towards Dolohov.

Gryffindor's Aegislash, with its dark silver and shining gold, moved through the air with purpose and determination and as it drew close it unsheathed its scarlet tipped sword and swung straight at Dolohov.

The two Doublade jumped into action, raising themselves up defensively before their trainer to block Aegislash's strike, the sound of steel on steel ringing throughout the corridor.

Dolohov stumbled backwards.

But Aegislash was not finished. With one attack blocked it pulled back for another, the Doublade repositioning to block again, before it tried again, and again. The Doublade were being pushed back, completely on the defensive, as Dolohov was forced to retreat further and further back, disappearing into the dust with Aegislash swinging in his wake.

"Okay," said Seamus. "I have no idea what just happened." It seemed Seamus needed to brush up on his Gryffindor trivia.

"Let's go," said Harry, turning away from where Dolohov had become barely more than an outline down the corridor. "We can still catch up with Dean. Greninja, return."

"Great work Infernape," Seamus called and together the two boys returned their Pokémon and hurried off down the corridor.

Even though Dolohov was being taken care of there was still plenty going on beyond their vision. Harry and Seamus were forced to duck, running in a crouch to make themselves as small a target as possible as attacks continued to fly everywhere, and it was only once they were able to return to the corridor they'd arrived from, the space jarringly empty and clear, that they were able to straighten up once more.

There was a staircase not far along the corridor, surely the way Dean had headed to get back to Gryffindor Tower, and without needing to say anything the two boys hurried towards it.

"Ah!" Seamus cursed, dancing on his toes as the ground rumbled beneath his feet, leaping delicately to the bottom steps of the staircase which remained steady.

Harry, meanwhile, came to a stop. Losing his balance he fell onto his hands and knees to steady himself, waiting out the rumblings of the castle, and only once his footing became secure once more did he look up.

A Lairon stood down an adjoining corridor, claws digging into the stone floor beneath its feet, and far beyond Death Eaters were running towards them.

Lairon leapt forward.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Harry shouted, pushing himself up and releasing his Pokémon just in time. Lucario flashed into being, his attack forming in an instant, and it caught Lairon in midair and sent it flying backwards to clatter to the ground in a heap.

The Death Eaters were drawing near.

Harry turned to Seamus.

"Go," he urged. Seamus couldn't see down the corridor from where he was standing, and he looked uncertain. "I'll take care of this."

Seamus fixed him with a firm look.

"I'll be right behind you," Harry promised. "Just leave me to clear these guys up." They stood looking at each other for a moment longer. "Trust me."

Seamus looked as though he wanted to stay and fight, his words from earlier hanging in the air between them, but Harry was adamant, fixing Seamus with a steady gaze. Eventually Seamus gave in.

"Be quick," He told him. "And don't do anything stupid." And he was off, running up the stairs.

Harry turned away. He took a deep, steadying breath.

"That's him!" One of the Death Eaters gasped, close enough now to make out Harry through the dim light. "It's Harry Potter! We've found him!"

As the Death Eaters' excitement rose Harry's hand moved to the Key Stone around his neck.

"Lucario," he spoke, his voice loud and clear. "Mega Evolve."

From the brace on Lucario's arm light burst through the air, reaching out hungrily towards the light that spread from beneath Harry's fingers. The two beams sizzled and snapped, and Lucario's transformation began. Energy coursed through the bond, Harry able to feel Lucario's very presence as easily as he could feel his own, and as the strength of the bond fell into a low background thrum Harry let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and his eyes snapped open.

"Let's go," he murmured. Lucario nodded.

He jumped into action.

There was no need for words as Lucario threw himself into battle. Harry knew what Lucario was going to do and Lucario could sense what Harry wanted without either of them needing to outwardly communicate. They were completely in tune as Lucario jumped, twisted, and rolled through the punches, kicks, bites and scratched of the Death Eaters' Pokémon, all the while firing off one attack after another with the finesse of a professional dancer.

A Bone Rush finished off the dazed Lairon for good, a Force Palm took an Ambipom out of the air mid attack, and sidestepping its serpentine body a Metal Claw drove Seviper into the ground, a kick pushing its still form away and into the wall.

The fear in the Death Eaters' eyes was clear. They backed away, and the panic turned to pure terror as Lucario, done with the Pokémon, turned his attention to them. Two Death Eaters were taken down by a single swipe of a Bone Rush, a third kicked into a wall and a forth, in pure panic, tripped over the form of his unconscious Accelgor and smacked his head off the solid stone floor.

Only one Death Eater remained. Looking at Harry and Lucario, and at the unconscious pile of bodies, both human and Pokémon, before him, he made the simplest of calculations, turned, and ran.

Lucario raised a paw into the air. Slowly, almost casually, an Aura Sphere built up before him, and a second later, with the Death Eater reaching the end of the corridor, a look of pure relief on his face, the attack shot after him.

The Death Eater turned the corner. The Aura Sphere followed.

A loud thud sounded out of view and everything went still.

"Come on," Harry murmured, his eyes roving the corridor. The threat had been dealt with.

He began to climb the stairs, Lucario falling into step beside him, and as they reached the top they stepped out onto the fourth floor.

The corridor he appeared in was quiet. Seamus had gone, presumably on his way up to Gryffindor Tower, and Harry had no reason to suspect otherwise with the sheer lack of action present. It seemed that this corridor had not yet been overtaken by battle.

Harry headed off down the corridor, jogging as he felt his muscles protest at the constant action he'd put them through. With space to breath once more the sheer exhaustion that he was only just holding at bay threatened to overwhelm him again.

He stopped, halfway down the corridor, and took in a breath. Finally giving in he took what little opportunity he had and allowed his eyes to fall closed.

He sighed. His body just seemed to drain of all the tension that had built up over the last couple of days, indeed over the last year, and he welcomed the sense of calm as his brain began to switch off, even though he knew it could not be forever. Just a little longer.

A loud crash of shattering glass tore Harry immediately back to the situation at hand and the peace he'd been able to achieve vanished in an instant. He turned, looking to find the window nearby had been blown in, and as he moved towards it to see what had caused the damage a Swoobat fluttered into view, looking right at Harry.

It attacked.

Harry threw himself to the ground, the Psybeam flying over his head, and from beside him Lucario flung out an Aura Sphere, the attack briefly forcing the Swoobat to dodge as Harry hastily pulled himself back to his feet.

"Lucario, return!" Harry shouted as another blast shot over their heads. The windows all along the corridor were being smashed one by one and Harry raced away, trying to give himself enough of a head start to get somewhere safe.

The corridor turned up ahead and Harry, desperate for some respite, sprinted towards it…

…and ran straight into someone coming the other way. Lying on the floor where he had fallen for a brief moment Harry was frozen in place as he looked on who he had bumped into.

It was Ginny. She looked just as surprised to see him, likewise stuck half pulling herself back to her feet, and for a moment the two of them just stared at each other.

A Psybeam struck the floor between them and just like that the moment was over. Harry jumped to his feet.

The Swoobat had entered the corridor and was soaring straight towards them.

"Umbreon, Protect!" Harry shouted and a shield rose in place to block another Psybeam as Swoobat swooped forward. Harry turned to Ginny. "Go."

Ginny was pulling herself back up to her feet, but she did not leave.

"Glaceon!" She called and beside Umbreon appeared a Pokémon of powder blue skin and elegant features, so much like Umbreon himself that you knew they had to be related. "Ice Shard!"

A ball of ice shot from the eeveelution and Swoobat was forced to dodge quickly.

"Shadow Ball!" Harry ordered, capitalising on the turning of tables, and Umbreon shot off the attack.

Outmatched Swoobat did the only thing it could and swept back out the window.

Leaving Harry and Ginny alone.

Harry turned to her. It had been so long, so long since they had parted at the Burrow and so long since he'd last seen her face in the time plant. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered, even though her clothes were rumpled and dirt and grime caked her face and darkened her vibrant red hair, and now that he was standing there with her once more, even as war raged around them, he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Ginny…"

But he was cut off. A fierce cry sounded from outside and with a cold feeling filling his chest Harry turned.

Swoobat had not fled. It had gone to get help. From along the corridor flying Pokémon were forcing their way through the smashed up windows and they weren't stopping. Zubat and Golbat fluttered through, along with Spearow and an emaciated Fearow, and at the end of all that Swoobat swooped back in, followed in behind by a terrifying Archeops.

"Run!" Harry shouted and together they flew off, charging down the corridor and away from the swarm of attacking Pokémon.

Running down the corridors they were met with nothing, no one to come to their aid and no way of escaping as the swarm chased after them, snapping at their heels, forcing them to keep going lest they get caught by their remorseless pursuers.

A shudder went through the castle, throwing Harry and Ginny off balance while doing just enough to distract the horde behind them, and Harry could see why. Above them a large crack was forming in the ceiling, spreading out along the length of the corridor, and with horror Harry realised that the corridor they were standing in was about to cave in.

"We need to get out of here!" He shouted, pulling Ginny forwards whilst looking left and right for somewhere safe from the destruction. All around them the Death Eaters' Pokémon had gone into panic, flying around randomly, completely forgetting about Harry and Ginny as they sought a way out of the corridor that was quickly turning into a death trap.

As Harry and Ginny ran down the corridor a stairway appeared to their left, their only chance, and they hurried down it as the corridor behind them finally collapsed. Stone fell everywhere, the corridor disappearing from view as large boulders blocked off the top of the stairway. The flying Pokémon were gone, whether trapped or otherwise, but the continued rumbling of rock continued to threaten as they were still forced onwards.

A large boulder fell loose and fell down the stairs, the ceiling above them starting to crack too.

"Umbreon, Protect!" Harry shouted.

The boulder came to a stop. The cracks stopped with it. All of a sudden the castle fell still. Everything was silent. Harry and Ginny were alone once more, standing in the stairwell with nothing but Umbreon and Glaceon, and a half collapsed corridor, for company.

Harry turned to her.

"I told you to go," he said, anger rising suddenly within him as he looked down on her. "You were supposed to leave. It was dangerous."

"So what?" Ginny fired back, refusing to back down. "You expected me to just leave you to fend for yourself, after all this time that I've been sitting here, waiting for you to come back, unable to do anything? You really expected that of me?"

"But I told you to go."

"And I said no!"

Ginny glared up at him, refusing to back down as fiery determination burned in her gaze. And as Harry watched he could not say anything, could not argue back, could not express his frustration, his fear… his relief.

He kissed her. He held her close, his grip tight, clinging to her as if she was about to be torn from his grasp, and as he did so he felt Ginny do the same. Her hands clasped on his back, digging into his skin and pulling him closer even though there remained no space between them, and her lips worked hungrily against his own, having been parted for far too long.

How much time they spent there, clinging to each other as though the world was just about to end, Harry didn't know, but steadily the desperation in their actions began to fade, replaced instead with blessed relief. Slowly their lips parted, heads resting forehead to forehead, and Harry opened his eyes to watch her beautiful face, and the chocolate brown eyes that looked back at him.

A distant explosion sounded, pulling Harry back to the present. He blinked, and he softly raised his head from Ginny's to look around at the destruction that surrounded them, an unpleasant reminder that their reunion may be short lived.

He turned back to her, his gaze soft as he watched as she too became aware of their present. They shared a look, so much needing to be said between them after so long apart, but as it turned out words weren't necessary.

There would be time later. Time for reflection. Now was not that time.

Now was the time for action.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter. If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

To JAGuar116: Yes, I know Spiritomb is not a legendary. To be honest I am playing a little fast and loose with the term legendary. If you remember when Dumbledore showed Harry 'Gods on Earth' he noted the distinction between legendary and mythical Pokemon, and how it didn't really make a difference. My excuse is basically that Spiritomb is the sort of Pokemon whose story is legendary worthy, and the author of 'Gods on Earth' didn't know any different. After all, a lot of the book was left blank.

To Brookstar: Okay, now I know I've got this one. Since I'm the bus driver then the answer is my own age, which I'm going to keep to myself if you don't mind :)

When we come back it'll be straight back to the battle. Until then.


	30. Dumbledore's Final Message

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

With Ginny by his side and with the confidence of knowing that she was alright Harry threw himself into the thick of battle. Death Eaters looked to have infiltrated as far up as the fourth floor by this point, over halfway towards Gryffindor Tower where Harry was sure there were still students being evacuated.

"Ninetales, Flamethrower!" Ginny commanded as she and Harry ran through the corridors of the fourth floor, doing their best to corral the Death Eaters that had made it this far. However the ones they were battling at this precise moment weren't making any plans to advance, they were in pursuit, and as Ninetales fired the attack back towards them Talonflame swooped on ahead, firing down Ember attacks to clear their route forward.

"Exploud, Boomburst!"

It was Luna's voice, her tone oddly serious for once, that sounded down an adjacent corridor and a moment later a blast blew a heap of bodies, Death Eaters and Pokémon intertwined, into view behind them as the mass of people and Pokémon took out Harry and Ginny's pursuers. The group fell still, giving out pained groans.

Harry and Ginny pressed on.

"Argh!" Harry cried out as the window just in front of them smashed, a large beast flying through with reckless abandon, tackling Talonflame clean out of the air. "Talonflame, return!"

It was an Archeops, the same Archeops, Harry realised, that had attacked them earlier, looking a bit ragged but still up for a fight.

"Ninetales, Extrasensory!" Ginny shouted and a blast flew from behind them, rippling past their legs to strike the confused Archeops, who had just a moment ago been pinning Talonflame to the ground. It fell backwards.

"Lucario, Hi Jump Kick!" Lucario, still Mega Evolved, appeared in a flash and positively flew down the corridor. In a moment he had crossed the distance between himself and Archeops and he connected with a vicious kick.

Archeops went hurling down the corridor, tumbling uncontrollably, before it fell through a hole in the wall and disappeared from view.

Lucario paused. He stood oddly still, even as Harry, Ginny and Ninetales caught up with him, shifting uncomfortably. Slowly he closed his eyes and focused.

"Lucario?" Harry asked nervously. He could feel Lucario's concern, knew it had to be bad, whatever it was he had sensed, and he tensed up, preparing for anything.

Suddenly Lucario opened his eyes. He let out a short bark, all he had to do to indicate the urgency of the situation, and he ran off down the corridor.

Harry, Ginny and Ninetales sprinted after him. They turned one corner, then another, and dropped down a staircase in a flash, before finally turning one last corner to see just what had caught Lucario's attention.

Severus Snape stood down the corridor. His back was towards them, his form showing no indication he had noticed their arrival as he focused his full attention, his Crobat and Drapion out before him, on his opponent. None other than Bellatrix LeStrange.

Bellatrix was laughing, a truly mad look on her face as her eyes danced with delight, facing off against the stoic Snape with her Banette, now Mega Evolved, and Mawile in battle before her.

As Harry and Ginny approached her eyes gleamed.

"Looks like we've got company," she cackled.

For a moment Snape was distracted, turning, and Bellatrix's smirk widened.

"Poison Fang!"

Mawile launched itself forward, jumping through Drapion's lanky limbs to clamp its set of powerful jaws into Snape's neck. His eyes widened in panic.

"No!" Harry cried and he rushed forward, Lucario already springing into battle. With a swipe of his Bone Rush Mawile was forced to release, jumping back towards her trainer, and Bellatrix cackled.

"That's what you get!" She jeered, even as Banette had to raise a shield to deflect a furious Air Cutter from Crobat. "Traitors always pay, Snape! Did you really think you'd get away with betraying the Dark Lord?!"

"Ninetales, Flamethrower!" Ginny commanded and Bellatrix was forced to shut up as she jumped aside, dodging the jet of flames. But her grin remained in place.

"Come back Banette, Mawile, we're done here," she jeered and she stepped backwards down the corridor, an evil smirk on her face. "Let's leave the traitor to die in peace."

Banette followed after its trainer, chittering excitedly as it went, but as Mawile tried to do the same it was brought to a shocking halt as one of Drapion's pincers reached out and wrapped itself around the Pokémon's neck. Drapion clamped down, holding the Pokémon in place, and Mawile cried out in pain, looking desperately to its trainer for help.

Bellatrix glanced back, her eyes falling on her Pokémon, then she turned. She ran, leaving the corridor behind with a laugh.

"Tyranitar, go!"

At the end of the corridor had appeared Neville, and his face was a picture of pure rage. In a mere moment his Pokémon had appeared before him, the mammoth rock and dark type taking up the whole passage, blocking his trainer from view, and the Tyranitar roared, hunched over to fit in the confined space, its eyes focused on Bellatrix.

"Mega Evolve!"

Tyranitar's form burst with light, the connection of the Key Stone and Mega Stone hidden behind his enormous bulk as he only grew larger and larger, the castle creaking as he pushed the walls and ceiling to their fullest extent.

"Banette!" Bellatrix cried, her voice fearful for the first time as she pointed her Pokémon forward.

"Dark Pulse!" Cried Neville.

The attack that flew down from Tyranitar's mouth shook the whole castle. It bore down on Banette with animalistic fury, pushing against the hastily constructed shield and forcing the Pokémon into the ground.

Tyranitar would not let up, no matter how long Banette continued to resist his power, and soon enough the shield began to crack.

"Ah!" Bellatrix cried.

As Banette's shield started to fail Crobat took advantage of the distraction. It flew forward, viciously sharp fangs reaching out before they sunk vengefully into Bellatrix's neck. And with Bellatrix's cry the last of Banette's resistance failed.

Tyranitar's Dark Pulse thundered into the Pokémon, driving it fiercely into the ground with no let up. For several long moments all that was happening was Tyranitar, standing hunched in the hallway, blasting his attack on where Banette had last been seen.

Eventually Tyranitar let up the attack and by the time he did Banette was no more.

Bellatrix sunk to her knees. One hand was held clutched to her neck, trying to stem the bleeding from where Crobat's fangs had injected its poison, blood leaking through her fingers, and with wide, stunned eyes she looked down at what remained of Banette.

"You…" she gasped, her voice weak as she shook. "You…" But she could not say it. She had no strength left.

Tyranitar reached out on arm and Bellatrix barely glanced up as she was flicked carelessly, effortlessly, into the wall, where she fell with a sickening crack.

For a moment there was stillness in the corridor.

Harry hurried to Snape.

"Professor," he said, quickly kneeling down and reaching to apply pressure on the wound. Blood was flowing freely, Harry couldn't believe Snape was still conscious, but if he didn't get medical attention quickly…

Snape's hand reached out to Harry's, ever so slightly pushing it away. He looked weak, what little colour in his cheeks gone completely, but as his eyes turned to Harry they were clear, and inky blackness stared into emerald green.

"Professor," Harry gasped, knowing what Snape was trying to tell him but refusing to believe it. "Professor, you'll be okay." There had to be a way to save him, Chimecho's Heal Bell had cured Charmeleon of Slytherin's Seviper's venom, maybe it would work here.

Harry turned to Ginny but once again Snape's hand stopped him. It rested softly on his shoulder.

"No," he said, his voice hoarse but steady. "Potter… Harry… there's something-"

He spluttered and quickly Harry moved forward to support his head.

Slowly Snape's breathing evened.

"Dumbledore's office…" he whispered. "Top drawer… there you will find what you need."

And with those last, simple words of advice, the light in Snape's eyes faded and he fell still, once and for all.

There was silence.

Drapion roared.

Slowly Harry lowered Snape's body back to the ground.

"Harry, what…?" Neville had made his way down the corridor, having fought his way around Tyranitar's considerable bulk to reach them, and he was staring down at Snape with a mixture of confusion and sorrow, as though he realised something terrible had happened but didn't know why.

Harry didn't know how to tell him.

"Snape's been on our side since the beginning," he said softly, rising to his feet as he looked down on the man who had spent so much of his life fighting Lord Voldemort. "Dumbledore's man through and through."

Drapion let out another wail. It lifted its arms into the air, shaking them around and flinging the Mawile still held by the neck angrily into the wall. Mawile didn't move. It seemed Bellatrix's betrayal and subsequent death had taken the fight out of it.

Harry looked at Drapion.

"We have to keep fighting," he murmured. "Drapion." Drapion's head turned sharply. "You want to avenge your trainer's death?" Drapion roared loudly.

Harry nodded.

"Then go with Ginny," he said and he gently reached down and pulled the poison type's Pokéball from Snape's belt, handing it to Ginny before he turned to Neville.

"Neville, you take Mawile. It doesn't seem like its going to be up to much but it was Bellatrix's Pokémon. Better to be safe than sorry." Neville nodded.

"What about Crobat?" Ginny wondered.

Harry looked up at the flying type. It was staring down at him, almost as though it knew exactly what Harry was going to ask.

"Snape left something for me in the Headmaster's office," Harry told her. "I'm going to find out what." He looked at Crobat. "Will you lead the way?"

Crobat nodded.

For one last time Harry looked down at Snape's still form. What had he left him? What had been so important that Snape would choose to pass on the message instead of trying to save his own life?

A chill washed over Harry, a chill that had nothing to do with Snape's passing, and he shivered. His eyes widened.

Draco's warning, now so long ago, echoed in his head.

_"She brought it with her. She made a deal. It wants to kill you, and she can take it where it needs to go."_

Spiritomb.

Lucario shifted imperceptibly by Harry's side, feeling exactly what Harry was, the same thoughts running through his head as together they turned to look down the corridor.

A dark mist was leaking from beneath Bellatrix's crumpled form, like smoke as it rose tantalisingly into the air. The temperature around them plummeted, so much so that even Mawile took notice, and dread rose in Harry's stomach.

"Everyone, get ready," he said, his voice sharp and in command as he took ahold of Greninja's Pokéball.

"What is it?" Neville asked nervously. He'd taken a half step back, looking very uncomfortable, and at the other end of the corridor, much closer to Bellatrix's form, Tyranitar shifted awkwardly.

"Spiritomb," Harry told him, his jaw clenched. "A manifestation of a hundred and eight tortured souls. Once released it will stop at nothing to cause chaos and destruction. I've fought it before and it nearly killed me, but now I know how to beat it." He took a breath. "But it will be tough."

"You should go," said Ginny. Harry looked at her.

"What?"

"You should go see what Snape left you," Ginny told him. "Neville and I can take care of Spiritomb."

Neville swallowed at Ginny's words but as soon as Harry's eyes turned to him he nodded, straightening up. "Leave it to us."

Harry hesitated. There was no way Ginny or Neville had any idea just what they were signing up for in facing Spiritomb alone, and Harry was loath to leave them to find out the hard way. On the other hand…

Thinking of the big picture, hating himself for doing so, Harry made his decision.

"Spiritomb's a dark and ghost type," he said hurriedly, keeping an eye on the smoke that was growing thicker over Bellatrix's form. He was going to try and impart all the expertise he could before he left them. "Fairy type moves are good against it but also fighting type moves if you use Foresight first. The only way to stop it is to completely overwhelm it. Target the stone, not the body. The body can disappear but the stone cannot. And once you've defeated it hide the stone somewhere no one can find it."

Harry finished. He'd said everything he could.

"Good luck," he told them and he and Lucario ran off, Crobat leading the way.

As Harry ran through the corridors he could not help himself but worry that he'd made a huge mistake. Neville and Ginny were strong, stronger than pretty much anyone else in the DA, but they could not be prepared, even after Harry's warnings, for the force of nature that was Spiritomb. No one could. Harry only prayed they'd find a way to pull through.

The route Crobat led Harry was a winding, twisting route that left Harry confused and slightly disorientated. But he knew there was a reason, whether it be because of battles up ahead or blocked off corridors, Harry was sure that Crobat was leading him on the quickest possible path to the Headmaster's office.

And as soon as Harry thought this he was there, stepping out into the corridor, empty but for themselves, with the door to Dumbledore's office sitting up ahead.

Though empty the corridor showed clear signs of battle. Burns and scratch marks littered the walls and ceiling but more significantly a large section of the wall had been blown away, the castle grounds laid out before him as he walked by, the sounds of continued fighting on the lawn wafting up to him.

Yet despite all the damage the door to the Headmaster's office remained oddly untouched. Almost as though even the Death Eaters knew better than to attack it.

Hesitantly Harry pushed at the door. It opened… it hadn't even been locked.

He stepped inside.

It was oddly quiet in the room beyond. Somehow it seemed as though the sounds of battle could not penetrate the magical room, and all sounds were cut off completely as Harry closed the door behind him. It remained untouched, a haven where the war somehow did not exist.

But it did exist. It was going on right now. And with his friends in danger Harry wasted no time in striding swiftly to the Headmaster's desk, pulling open the top drawer.

Inside sat an object that glowed with a faint blue light, and immediately Harry knew this was what Snape had left him. Gently he lifted the time plant out of the drawer and placed it softly on the desk.

Excitement flooded him. This had to be from Dumbledore, it just had to be. One final piece of advice to help him win this war for good, to push him over the finish line now that he was so close. This was why Snape had been prepared to give his life for Harry to find it.

With a shaking finger Harry reached out, not needing Lucario's aid for this one time, and he softly caressed the petals of the time plant. It reacted at once, as if just waiting for Harry to call upon it, and Harry backed away, pulse racing in excitement as a blue scene spread throughout the room, matching it perfectly, and a tall, familiar figure appeared before him.

Albus Dumbledore stood by his desk once more, long hair and beard sparkling with the blue glow of memory and Harry felt his breath catch, his eyes wide as he looked up in awe, and a warm feeling spread through him.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, his comforting voice bringing a beaming smile to Harry's face.

"Professor," he said, then he stopped, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Of course Dumbledore couldn't hear him, he wasn't really there. All that Harry was seeing now had already happened, nothing more than a memory of a man long gone.

Naturally Dumbledore didn't respond. Instead his gaze fell softly to his hands, the time plant held in gentle fingers over the desk. He seemed to be finding it difficult to decide what to say.

He looked up once more.

"This is likely my last message," he said, his voice soft but calm. "You may have guessed but we are just about to journey on the first stage of your quest, and unfortunately the last of mine." Dumbledore raised his diseased hand from the time plant, the skin looking darkened even in memory.

"It is time for me to give my last words of advice."

Harry listened with rapped attention.

"There are so many things I wish to tell you, Harry," Dumbledore said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Things you know, things you don't. Things that will help you on your journey and things that will not, that either way I'd still wish to tell you. But I will restrict myself to just this."

He raised his gaze and for a moment seemed to look right at Harry.

"I am… proud, of what you have become," Dumbledore said softly. "From the day you first entered the castle to when I last saw you ten minutes ago you have grown to be strong, and powerful, but most importantly compassionate, honourable, and brave. Your years have been filled with far more danger than I would have liked, yet I cannot deny the feeling, when I saw you victorious in rescuing the Sacred Ash, saw you rescue Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets, and saw you discover and free an innocent man from a terrible fate, has been one of warmth. Even as the times turned dark, as you've lost those you care about, your strength of will has shone through again, and again, and again."

Dumbledore paused.

"I suppose when you see this it will be in your hour of need, when events have escalated to a point where you are now more than ever in want of guidance. And for that moment, I say this."

Harry waited impatiently. This was it. This was what was going to defeat Voldemort and finally put on end to years and years of suffering. This was the key to that happy ever after.

"You are stronger than you'll ever truly realise, Harry," Dumbledore told him. "You have faced adversity so often and have come through stronger each and every time. You have a power inside you, a power so pure, led by your heart and your passion and your spirit, that is all you need to guide you to victory, and to save these innocent people from this terrible war."

But how? Harry's lips mouthed the question even as he looked on in confusion. How was he supposed to win? Where was the answer that Dumbledore was supposed to tell him?

"Believe in yourself, Harry, just as I believe in you. Believe, and you'll have all you need."

"But…?" Harry objected, stepping forward in dismay. "But that doesn't mean anything. There's got to be something else, something I can do, a tactic, or a move… there's got to be something."

Dumbledore couldn't hear him, but his response was so perfect it was as though he could.

"The truth is there is no more," he said softly. "There is no more that I have left to leave you. I've taught you everything I could. And you have everything you need. For a long time now you've been ready for this most unfair of tasks, I can only hope to have been of help. But gone is the day of Albus Dumbledore versus Lord Voldemort. Now it's Harry Potter who takes up that mantle. Potter and Voldemort. Two trainers representing competing ideologies, each as powerful, cunning and ingenuitive as the other. Albus Dumbledore cannot defeat Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter will. Of that, I have no doubt."

Dumbledore looked down at the time plant again, turning it over in his hands with a look of soft regret, and he reached out to his desk, pulling open the top drawer.

"And so I leave you," he said softly, tired eyes rising to meet Harry's own. "Setting you on the first step down the road that will ultimately lead you to victory. It will be difficult, challenging to an extent unimaginable, but you will pull through. And after you will stand victorious on a new dawn for the Pokémon world."

Dumbledore placed the time plant in the drawer.

"To you," he said softly. "The greatest man I have ever known. Harry Potter."

And as the drawer slid shut the memory ended, the blue light retreating back into the time plant on the desk, and Harry stood alone in silence.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed then please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates.

To Johnson: Thanks for the review. I got it just as I was about to upload this chapter and I'm glad you're enjoying. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, but hopefully once I'm done with this I'll be able to start a new project to catch your interest.

To Brookstar: Looks like you've thwarted me again, I wasn't able to figure out your riddle. I assume it is something that is neither a lie nor the truth, although what that could be I don't know.

I'll leave this riddle to everyone else to have a crack at.

'Imagine that Harry has been captured. Voldemort tells him to reveal the location of Arceus. If Harry lies, Voldemort will slay him with Pokémon. If Harry tells the truth, Voldemort will call upon his Death Eaters to kill Harry. What must he say to survive?'

And speaking of Voldemort, Harry and Arceus, we are nearing the climax of the series. There are just two chapters left after this one, so I hope you're all excited.

Until next time.


	31. The Wrath Of Lord Voldemort

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The sounds of battle were audible now, closer to where Harry stood or perhaps he was just hearing it over the sudden silence in the office. It wasn't the only thing, he could hear his own breathing, the frantic beating of his heart in his chest, the soft beating of Crobat's wings and Lucario's subtle shifting. He gazed out across the office to where Dumbledore had just been standing, eyes unseeing, but his mind, for the first time, open, as Dumbledore's final words reverberated in his head.

It was down to him. He was the one that stood in Voldemort's path, the leader of the resistance against his tyrannical ways, and it was about time he stepped up to the plate. About time he did what he was always meant to do.

A loud bang sounded, so close that it had to be from the corridor just outside, and Harry turned to it, a new purpose coursing through his veins. He stepped forward unwavering, feeling Lucario join him by his side, and pushed the door to the Headmaster's office open.

Four Death Eaters stood beyond, their backs to Harry as they fought off against Hogwarts's defenders, and Harry's heart leapt as he saw just who these defenders were.

Ron and Hermione.

"Harry!" Ron cried out, a look of pure relief breaking out over his face.

The Death Eaters turned.

Harry let out a smile.

"Aura Sphere!" He commanded and in a flash one of the Death Eaters was knocked unconscious.

Emboldened, Ron and Hermione stepped up the attack.

"Torkoal, Flamethrower!" Ron cried, causing Death Eaters and their Pokémon to jump aside, leaving an unfortunate Cradily to take the full force of the attack.

Beside him Hermione took ahold of the pendent around her neck.

"Absol!" She cried, lifting it out from under her shirt and pressing it forward tightly. "Mega Evolve!"

Light burst from beneath her fingers as, at last, her connection with Absol manifested itself in physical form. Absol's Mega Stone reacted, the two streams of light snapping together as the bond became real, and Absol began to transform, growing larger, wings unfurling from its back as it grew into the full extent of its power.

The battle was short and brutal. Surrounding the unfortunate Death Eaters Harry, Ron and Hermione picked them off one by one, until only the last Death Eater remained standing, an Empoleon as his only defence.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Commanded Harry as the three of them closed in. Empoleon responded with a Hydro Pump, blasting the attack back over Lucario's shoulder, but it left it open to the others.

"Night Slash!" Shouted Hermione. Running round from the side Absol kicked off from the wall, practically flying forward to strike Empoleon in the chest with a powerful swipe of his horn, and Empoleon stumbled. It collided with its trainer, the two of them falling backwards, and behind them, where there should have been wall, the gaping hole swallowed them up and they fell in a tangle of limbs to the grounds below.

Slowly Harry, Ron and Hermione moved nearer.

"Oh," Hermione said anxiously. "I hope they landed in the lake."

"I'm sure they did," Ron reassured her, though he shot Harry a guilty look that Hermione didn't see.

Harry gazed out over the grounds. Light was returning, everything now thrown into a soft amber glow as morning began to dawn. The battle had been going on all night, Harry could feel it in his bones as he stood there, the hours of running non-stop through the corridors, combined with the discomfort of having been trapped in that van on the way towards Malfoy Manor, and before that the battle with Zapdos for the Zap Plate. He was beyond tired, not just physically, but of everything, the fighting, the worry, the fear that at any moment he could lose someone he cared about. It was time for it to end, and it was Harry's job to do it.

He turned away.

"So," he said, facing Ron and Hermione. "I got your message about the Plate. Is it done?"

Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"Well, that's the thing," said Ron, the worry clear in his voice. "We went into the forest to get the Plate cleansed, as planned, but there was a problem. Arceus wasn't there."

A cold feeling spread through Harry's stomach.

"He wasn't?" He repeated. Ron shook his head.

"We literally just got back," he said, and he pulled the Toxic Plate from his pocket. Spidery black lines covered its surface, spreading more completely than any of the Plates before it.

"We were worried we might have gone to the wrong place," Hermione spoke up anxiously. "We'd never been that far into the forest before, we could have easily got lost. But we looked around and, well…"

"It doesn't look like Arceus went down easy," Ron finished for her. "But it's not there anymore. And you know what must have happened."

Harry did. And his worst fears were realised as a cold, merciless voice rang out throughout the air.

"People of Hogwarts, lay down your arms," Voldemort commanded, his voice seeming to reverberate from the very walls around them. "Loyal Death Eaters, return to my side."

Slowly Harry approached the hole in the wall once more, staring out over the grounds that were steadily lightening before him, and he looked down.

Voldemort stood before the castle doors, his army of Death Eaters lined up behind him as more and more dark figures retreated from the castle to join his ranks. He stood calm, confident, as though secure in the knowledge that no one could touch him, and with good reason.

Beside Harry, Hermione gasped.

"Oh my," she said, her face white. "Arceus."

The god of Pokémon lay unmoving in a large cage behind the Death Eater lines. It was defeated. Voldemort had found it.

Almost as if he could sense their presence Voldemort's red eyes moved up over the castle and fell upon Harry. He smiled.

"Harry Potter," his cold voice rang out again. The whole castle seemed to go still. "You have something that belongs to me. But we need not fight. I propose a deal. Come down and face me. If you refuse, then battle will recommence. You have one hour."

Harry looked down at Voldemort, meeting his vivid red eyes with his emerald green, and he stepped back, away from the hole, Voldemort disappearing from view.

He turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Give me the Plate," Harry instructed and Ron hurriedly passed it over.

"What are you thinking?" Hermione asked anxiously. "You can't be thinking of handing it over."

"I have a plan," Harry told her, the details only just coming together but his determination steady. "This war has gone on long enough. It's time to end it."

* * *

The castle was silent as Harry, Ron and Hermione descended towards the Entrance Hall. The Death Eaters were gone, having retreated to their master's side, and the defendants of Hogwarts were nowhere to be seen either.

All that was left was the destruction of the castle. Pieces of stone lay scattered throughout the hallways, suits of armour destroyed where they had once proudly stood, paintings burned and slashed. And the bodies. So many bodies.

Most of them were Death Eaters, Harry was relieved to see, but every so often they passed someone so awfully familiar and a stab of pain pierced through his chest. An auror lay half trapped beneath the rubble, Harry remembered them from when they'd been sent to arrest Hagrid two years ago. A young girl in Hufflepuff clothing lay curled in a corner. She couldn't have been older than twelve. Professor Trelawney sat propped against the wall, her usually misty eyes clear as they stared blankly ahead.

It was only once they reached the Entrance Hall that signs of life could be seen once more. There was movement in the Great Hall where the wounded had gathered, Madam Pomfrey rushing around with her Chansey and Audino, doing what they could for the fallen members of the resistance, whilst out on the front steps stood what was left.

As Harry stepped through the great oak front doors a hushed whisper swept through the air and the defenders of Hogwarts turned towards him, and a path opened up through their midst. Looking around Harry subconsciously checked off names on a mental list, trying to reassure himself of those that were alright. He saw Professor McGonagall, and Sprout and Flitwick, and Professor Slughorn too. He saw Dean and Seamus, with Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini alongside them. He saw Remus and Sirius, Kingsley, Hagrid, Wood, Fred and George, Neville, Luna and, at last, Ginny.

He let out a subtle breath, and turned his attention forwards. Striding with slow but purposeful steps he walked out to the front of the crowd, Ron and Hermione following behind him, to where Voldemort awaited his approach.

Harry came to a stop, no more than a dozen paces from where Voldemort stood, and Ron and Hermione fell into place a few steps behind him, in line with the rest of the Hogwarts defenders, flanked by Professor McGonagall and Kingsley.

For a long moment nothing was said.

"So, you came," Voldemort murmured, his voice low and cool. A smirk curled his lips. "As I knew you would."

Harry said nothing. He wasn't going to play Voldemort's game.

Voldemort's smirk faded slightly.

"I trust you are here to bargain," he said, his voice rising in a cold, businesslike manner. "You have something of mine. I'd very much like it back."

Slowly Harry pulled the Toxic Plate from behind his back.

"Your offer?" He asked, raising the Plate before him. Voldemort gave a sharp wave of his hand.

Behind him the Death Eaters parted and ever so slowly the squeak of wheels indicated the arrival of the enormous cage, within which Arceus lay. Now that he could see it up close Harry could see that the bars were sparking with electricity, spreading throughout the base of the cage and through Arceus itself.

Through the pain Arceus's eye strained open and it met Harry's gaze.

Harry turned to Voldemort.

"So is that it?" He asked simply. "The Plate for Arceus?"

Voldemort's lips curled.

"Succinctly put," he murmured. "And correct. If you hand over the Plate in your hand I will release Arceus. I will even, in a show of goodwill, take my Death Eaters and leave Hogwarts grounds, to let you tend to your wounded and bury your dead. All you need to do is hand over the Plate."

Harry looked down at the Toxic Plate, the purple rectangle with black spidery lines across its surface practically pulsing in his grip, making Harry's skin crawl. For so long it had been right under their noses.

And now he had a choice. Surrender the Plate, or lose Arceus.

Harry looked up, his eyes meeting Voldemort's blazing red, and as he did so he saw something he hadn't expected. Apprehension. Fear. Voldemort was afraid. Voldemort stood vulnerable before him and though he tried to hide it Harry could tell. He held out his hand expectantly for Harry to pass over the Plate, but his eyes had already betrayed him.

"We both know why I can't accept your offer," Harry said softly. "This Plate is everything. If I were to hand it to you I would be surrendering."

"But the Plate is nothing without the means to destroy it," Voldemort countered, trying to keep his voice cool, but his words came out in more of a hiss. He retracted his hand and instead gestured to where Arceus lay beside him.

"And so we're at an impasse," Harry said calmly. "You refuse to release Arceus without the Plate being in your possession. I refuse to surrender the key to your defeat."

"But it is useless without a means to destroy it," Voldemort snapped. "I do not need the Plate to defeat you and once I have I will pry it from your cold, dead hands." His nostrils flared. "Do not mistake my request for necessity, it is mercy."

Mercy? Oh no, it wasn't mercy. From the moment Voldemort had called him out Harry had been going through this confrontation in his head, playing out where this would go, and throughout all of that he had come to the realisation that only one thing was holding Voldemort back. Fear.

Fear Harry planned to capitalise on.

Slowly he began to hold out the Plate.

"Now," he said. A frown crossed Voldemort's face, a split second of confusion, but he'd find out soon enough.

From beside him a ferocious wind exploded outwards from inside the cage where Arceus lay. Mismagius, having taken the distraction Harry provided to cross the distance unnoticed, forced her Ominous Wind to press against the machinations of the cage, and as she did so the bars rattled, the screws came loose, and the cage blew outwards, causing the Death Eaters to scatter around it and breaking Arceus free.

Harry raised the Toxic Plate into the sky.

"Talonflame!" He shouted and from his perch up in a shattered window above them the flaming bird soared down to where Harry stood. With a simple movement he plucked the Toxic Plate out of Harry's grasp and headed for Arceus.

Arceus raised its head.

"Judgement!" Arceus cried, using the very last remnants of its strength to build up its extraordinary power and a burning sphere shot into the air.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed.

"Nagini!" He shouted, his expression a mixture of anger and fear, and from the grass between the two trainers the poison type, having been sneaking silent and unnoticed up towards Harry, sprung into the air. Sharp, venomous fangs snapped at Talonflame, looking to pull the Pokémon out of the sky, but Talonflame wasn't a Seeker for nothing. He twisted, leaving Nagini with nothing but a few tail feathers in her jaws, and as he flew past he dropped the Toxic Plate into the path of Arceus's Judgement.

The attack caught the Plate in midair and hammered it into the ground. The dark essence buried within was purged, rising up into the air and disappearing into the atmosphere as Voldemort screamed, not in pain, but rage.

He turned back to Harry, his eyes wild. "Kill him!"

Nagini launched forward, fangs bared towards Harry's neck, and Harry ducked.

Part two of his plan sprung into action. As Harry avoided the attack he had known would be coming, avoiding Nagini's sharp fangs as he flew above him, he was well aware of the presence that was approaching from behind.

Greninja flew through the air, catching Nagini off guard, and his Metal Claw attack caught Nagini in the mouth, sending the Arbok tumbling back. Nagini hissed angrily, turning to face him, but Greninja didn't let up as, with one swift, precise movement he pinned Nagini to the ground and, with his metallic claws glinting in the rising sun, he drove them through Nagini's skull.

A horrible crack rent the air and all of a sudden everything fell still.

Slowly Greninja stepped away from Nagini's form, the Pokémon unmoving.

"No."

The pained voice broke the silence and Harry looked up, dreading what he would see.

Voldemort stood stock still, staring down at his defeated Pokémon with an expression of disbelief on his face. His aura of power and terror was gone and for once he stood there just like any other man. For a brief moment he was no longer Lord Voldemort. He was Tom.

"I'm so sorry," said Harry, his voice shaking as he saw the grief in Tom's gaze. He had never wanted this, never wanted to force him to feel this pain.

Tom's eyes rose to meet his and they burned with a new, all encompassing rage.

"You," he spoke, his voice harsh. "You did this." His whole body was shaking, his rage seeming to fill every pore. "You will pay."

And then, suddenly, the shaking wasn't limited to his body. The air around him began to warp, undulating wildly, and in the centre his body began to bend and stretch in a grotesque visage that you could not help but watch. The Death Eaters all around him were backing away, terrified by what was happening as Voldemort's form began to grow, rising high into the air, undulating as he became larger and large, his body bending and stretching into a new, serpentine form.

And then Harry realised what form it was. He'd seen it, many times before, drawn into the pages of a book. The book.

A Rayquaza hovered in the air before him, its long serpentine body a greenish black, a colouration Harry had never seen in the pages of 'Gods on Earth', but there was no doubt that's what it was. The result of all Voldemort's experiments. The realm where no man had dared go before.

Voldemort shrieked.

"Umbreon, Protect!" Harry shouted as Voldemort turned his burning red eyes down on him and let out a burst of fire from his mouth, burning down in one huge ball which crashed devastatingly into Umbreon's shield, completely obscuring Harry's vision.

Behind him others had followed his lead, led by Hermione and Ron releasing Meowstic and Metagross respectively. A line of shields rose up before the defenders, starting with Metagross and Meowstic but added to by Sirius's Blissey, Kingsley's Slowking, Slughorn's Grumpig, and Fleur's Gardevoir, with Harry standing alone on the other side.

It was all down to him.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Harry shouted, the water type running off in a semi-circular arc to fire off his attacks as Harry pulled the last three Pokéballs from his belt.

This was no time to leave anything back in the locker room. This was it.

Charizard, Lucario and Pikachu burst from their Pokéballs and immediately they flung themselves into battle. From Harry's side Lucario fired a Dragon Pulse into the air as Charizard and Pikachu took to the sky, Pikachu perched on Charizard's shoulders as they fired fire and electric attacks into the mix, joining Talonflame in swooping around Voldemort's form.

All the while Umbreon stood before Harry, shield in place, and Harry watched the battle with sharp eyes.

"Greninja, Ice Punch!" He shouted and Greninja shot into the air, striking Voldemort across the face as he tried to bite down on Charizard's wing.

Charizard joined the attack, a Dragon Rage burning into Voldemort's chest and Talonflame swooped in from behind, raining a Fire Blast onto his back.

"Extreme Speed!" Harry instructed and Lucario shot off from Harry's side, rushing up the length of Voldemort's serpentine body. Voldemort twisted, trying to knock him off, but he was distracted as more Water Shurikens came crashing into his face, causing him to shake his head violently to clear the water from his eyes, just as Lucario reached the end of his run. He leapt majestically into the air, vaulting over Voldemort's head as he fired a Dragon Pulse into the mix.

"Thunder!" Harry shouted.

For a brief moment everything was still, Voldemort finally free from attacks as Lucario, Greninja, Charizard and Talonflame hung in the air around him. Then a bolt of devastating lightning dropped from the sky.

Voldemort shrieked as electricity tore through his body, his dark form illuminated by the dazzling light of static dancing across his skin. Voldemort twisted and writhed, trying to escape the pain, but it would not leave him alone. He was trapped.

Suddenly Voldemort's eyes snapped open. He let out an animalistic cry of rage and from his form a pulse of energy shot outwards, blasting everything around him backwards and hammering violently against the shields that the Pokémon struggled to maintain.

Harry's Pokémon were tossed aside like rag dolls, blown away from the centre of the blast, spent and unable to fight as they neared the end of their strength.

Ahead of him Voldemort shrugged off the last of Pikachu's attack. Furious red eyes turned on Harry. All humanity that had been there before was gone. Voldemort was lost.

Umbreon growled softly, bracing himself as he stood defensively between Rayquaza and Harry. He was nearly all Harry had left. Through the bond made from Mega Evolution he could feel that Lucario was lying somewhere nearby, dazed, and Greninja, though on his feet, was limping heavily.

Up above Talonflame had crashed into the castle walls and was awkwardly trying to lower himself to the ground, feathers bent all out of shape. Pikachu had been knocked out, having crashed into the shields behind him, and nearby Charizard lay in a heap.

Down but not out.

Ever so slowly the fire and dragon Pokémon shifted. As if awakening from a long slumber his head emerged from under his wing, his body twisting so as to face up against the mighty Rayquaza, and, with purposeful, steady movements, he rose to his feet.

Rayquaza did little to react. It was tired, breathing heavily, and even after shaking off Pikachu's attack static still flickered over its figure. Ever so slowly, laboriously, it prepared to attack.

"Charizard!" Said Harry, his voice firm. Charizard raised his head. "Dragon Rage!"

As Rayquaza forced its head forward, deadly energy burning in its jaws, Charizard did the same. The two attacks flew towards each other, colliding with a terrifying rumble, and they pushed onwards, a battle of wills neither side could afford to lose.

Harry could feel Charizard's pain, the strain that putting everything into the attack was doing to him thrumming through their bond, and he reached out to the Key Stone around his neck, closing his eyes and silently urging his Pokémon on.

Harry poured everything he had into the Key Stone, every ounce of encouragement, of strength he could provide, and he could feel Charizard gratefully lap it up. He felt Charizard grow stronger, even as Harry's knees grew weak and shaky, felt Charizard's back straighten, and he knew exactly what he would see when he opened his eyes as Charizard began to push back Rayquaza's attack.

The combined attacks crashed into Rayquaza in a colossal inferno, engulfing the Pokémon with deadly power, and at that moment Harry knew, for certain, that he would win.

"Blast Burn!"

The ground erupted. Fire sprung from the earth, rising up around Rayquaza with a greedy hunger, the flames licking away at its exposed skin, and Rayquaza shrieked. It writhed and twisted, feeling pure agony as it was engulfed in the strength of Charizard's most powerful attack.

Rayquaza's form began to fade. It shrunk, falling softly to the ground as Charizard's attack came to an end, and as the last burning embers fell around them everything went still.

Gingerly Harry stepped forwards. The earth was hot, uncomfortably so, the grass shrivelled beneath his feet, but he had to know. He stepped out from behind Umbreon's shield and approached his vanquished foe.

Voldemort's body was charred, damaged beyond recovery, but he looked more human than ever. There was no doubt Voldemort was dead. He lay still, almost peaceful, and the aura that had followed him for so many years was gone.

A soft noise drew Harry's attention and he looked up.

The Death Eaters stood before him, scattered around haphazardly in their desperation to escape the carnage that was their Dark Lord's transformation, and they were staring towards Harry in silence with wide, terrified eyes.

A man nearby suddenly pulled his belt from his person, Pokéballs attached, and threw it away to the ground, dropping to his knees and bowing his head. More Death Eaters followed his lead, surrendering themselves and their Pokémon, submissive as they fell in waves, kneeling at Harry's feet.

The war, after so many years and battles and lives lost, was over.

They had won.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this second to last chapter. Just one more until it's all wrapped up.

If you enjoyed please leave a Review and follow me on Twitter for updates. If you are already following me on Twitter you'll have seen that I'm going to be away on Friday, so the last chapter is going to be uploaded on Thursday instead.

Until next time.


	32. When The Sun Rises

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

The Death Eaters' surrender was absolute. They lay down their arms and dared not fight as they were rounded up and escorted down into the dungeons under the watchful eye of Professor McGonagall. The sun rose on the first true day of peace in decades and, at last, the defenders of Hogwarts could celebrate.

But Harry could not. It had been two days now since he'd had a proper rest, and almost as long since he'd had anything to eat or drink. As the Death Eaters were rounded up and celebrations began he retreated up to his dormitory. He had a shower, hot water scalding his skin, burning away the muck and grime of months on the run, before he stepped out with a new sense of relief and collapsed into bed.

A few hours later he was awake again. It turned out sleep wouldn't come so easy. But it was enough, at least for now, and as he lay there, sun streaming through the window onto his bed, he revelled in the knowledge that there would be plenty of time for his sleep to return to normal.

The sound of voices drifted in softly from outside. The dormitory was mostly untouched but the glass in the window had been blown in, a soft breeze carrying in the words from the grounds below.

Harry rose softly from the bed, bending down smoothly to pick up his boxers and deftly pull them on. He padded barefoot over to the window, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his chest, and he absently poured himself a glass of water, the jug having miraculously survived whatever blow had knocked in the window. He took a sip. Leaning softly through the opening, he looked down at the figures on the grounds below.

Soft movement from behind him drew his attention, causing him to turn, a soft smile on his face.

"Harry?" Ginny blinked up at him blearily, hand stretching to where his warm body had vanished beside her. "What are you doing? Come back to bed."

Softly, Harry approached, kneeling beside her. "I wish I could," he admitted sadly. "I'm afraid my body just hasn't got used to being relaxed yet."

Ginny's gaze softened.

"It could take awhile," she acknowledged. "You've been through a lot."

Harry bowed his head in agreement.

"I'm going to head downstairs," he told her, straightening up. "See how everything's going."

"Okay," said Ginny and she started to pull herself up, wiping sleep from her eyes.

Harry stopped her.

"Don't rush," he told her under her questioning gaze. He smiled. "We've got all the time in the world."

A smile spread across Ginny's face, a remembrance of the times when she'd asked him to promise he'd return. He hadn't made that promise, not believing he could fulfil it, but he had. And now they truly did have all the time in the world.

"I'll be down soon," Ginny promised, settling down in the bed once more. "I won't be able to sleep without you anyway."

Harry smiled. Looking around he found his clothes, strewn haphazardly across the floor where he had left them, and he began to pull them on. They'd have to be replaced at some point, his shirt in particular was barely serviceable, but it'd do for now. Giving Ginny a long, lingering kiss, relishing in the feel of her lips, the warmth of her skin, and the beautiful flowery scent of her hair, he rose up, crossed to the door, and exited the boys dormitory.

Gryffindor Tower was quiet. With the students evacuated the only Gryffindors left behind were those that had fought to defend the castle.

He found several of them down in the common room. Neville was passed out in an armchair, snoring softly, and Dean had Parvati's head on his shoulder.

Ron and Hermione were curled up in an armchair together, talking in low voices, and Harry considered walking towards them. But he decided against it. He would not disturb them. There was plenty of time to talk later.

He stepped out of the common room.

Hogwarts castle looked surreal under the light of the midday sun. The damage done by the battle looked almost picturesque as sunlight poured through the broken windows and holes in the wall.

It took Harry a long time to get down to the Entrance Hall, his fuzzy brain struggling to remember which routes were blocked off and which corridors had caved in, but when he got there he found it alive with activity.

"Potter."

Draco Malfoy had been standing by the doors to the Great Hall, apparently waiting just for him. He hurried forward.

"Draco," Harry said softly. Malfoy paused.

"Harry," he corrected himself, inclining his head. His businesslike expression returned. "I have something important I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"My parents."

Of course.

"I understand you have no reason to be lenient with them, given what has happened, particularly over the last twenty four hours, but if I could just advocate…"

Harry held up a hand.

"You want to see what you can work out for them," he concluded. Draco nodded sharply.

Harry took a breath.

"Where are they now?" He asked. "Are they in the dungeons?"

"The Great Hall," Draco told him. A pained looked passed over his face.

"And their Pokémon?"

"Confiscated, like the others," Draco assured him. "They were among the Death Eaters on the grounds and surrendered their Pokémon willingly upon the Dark Lord's defeat."

Harry nodded.

"Let's go speak to them," he said decisively and he strode off, Draco following hurriedly behind him.

The Great Hall was filled with people. Each of the four Hogwarts House tables held a large variety, from students to aurors to Legion members, and they were so distracted, conversing in generally high spirits, that they did not even notice Harry enter.

"What's she doing here?"

Harry looked over at Draco's words. Sitting at the Gryffindor table were Seamus and Daphne, Daphne tending to a nasty looking gash on Seamus's shoulder, while across the table sat a bored looking Blaise next to Astoria, who was watching the two across from her with calculating eyes.

"Astoria?" Harry said, guessing correctly. "Perhaps she wasn't able to be evacuated."

"She shouldn't be here," said Draco, his face pale. "She's fifteen."

Harry agreed, but there was nothing to be done. She'd got through the battle, that's what mattered.

Harry turned away from Seamus and the Greengrass sisters at the Gryffindor table just in time to catch a glimpse of blond hair as the owner of said hair strode briskly towards him.

Lucius Malfoy approached, a smooth air of indifference firmly in place.

"Congratulations, Mr Potter," he said silkily, his voice filled with an oily false politeness. "Truly the man of the hour. What you have done, well, what can I say. The Pokémon world is truly in your debt."

Harry wasn't having any of it.

"Say another word and I'll throw you in the dungeons with the rest of the Death Eaters," he snapped. Lucius looked taken aback.

"Now now," he began but Harry cut across him.

"I mean it," he warned. "Another word then whatever goodwill I've shown is gone. I'm sure your friends would quite like to have a word with you, what with the special treatment you've been getting."

Lucius fell silent. His jaw clenched.

"Good," said Harry once it became clear Lucius would stay quiet. "Now this is really quite simple so let's not waste any time beating around the bush. You should be on your way to Azkaban but, on account of Draco switching loyalties, you have been granted a reprieve, for you and your wife."

"Well, you are most gracious," Lucius began but Harry held up his hand, commanding silence.

"But there will be consequences," he told him, his voice firm. "You will be required to hand over a vast portion of your families wealth, which will go towards rebuilding our community, and you will do so willingly and without complaint. You will do community service. You will stay out of politics and if you try anything, anything at all, that I consider shady or a sign of you returning to your old ways, you will not be given the benefit of the doubt."

"But that's preposterous," Lucius spluttered, unable to hold back any longer. "You can't just take our family's wealth, generations of Malfoys have worked for it. As for politics, it is the very lifeblood of a Malfoy. I agree there needs payment for rebuilding but it is surely unreasonable to bankrupt my family to meet those needs."

"If it took bankrupting your family to heal the Pokémon world I would not hesitate," Harry said coldly. "And the further away from politics you are the better. Do not play games with me, Mr Malfoy, I know where your ideology lies and it has no place in our world."

Harry paused.

"As for your finances I am far from sympathetic," he finished. "I've seen your house, Mr Malfoy, you'll be fine."

"Now go back and tell your wife of my offer," Harry instructed. "Tell her this is the price of freedom. Ignore it, and it is to Azkaban you go, and that goes for the both of you. I have no time to tell you twice."

Harry turned away, his dismissal clear, and with an unpleasant look on his face Lucius eventually turned on his heels and left.

Harry glanced at Draco.

"It'll be up to you to keep him in line," he warned. "What I said isn't just what I'm prepared to offer, it's the best anyone could. If he tries anything I won't be able to stop him from going to Azkaban, and quite frankly I wouldn't want to."

Draco nodded stiffly.

"There's something else I need from you," Harry said suddenly, stopping Draco as he moved to turn away. "When we were captured there was a man with us, his name was Rabbie Dunlop. I believe he is still in Malfoy Manor."

"I'll return him to his home," Draco assured him.

"And anyone else that's trapped there," Harry added. Draco nodded.

Without another word Draco strode away, approaching the corner where his parents huddled, watching him and Harry speak. A few words were exchanged, sharp and without warmth, before Draco strode away once more, leaving the Malfoys behind as he went to complete the task Harry'd given him.

"Wotcher Harry."

Harry turned.

"Tonks," he beamed, glad to see the spiky haired auror again. She wasn't at her best, wincing with every step as she walked towards him, her arm wrapped around Sirius's shoulders for support, but she was smiling. "How are you?"

"A damn sight better than a few hours ago," Tonks laughed, patting her thigh and wincing. "Courtesy of my cousin, but she got what was coming for her in the end so I'm not complaining." She winced again.

"Dora!"

Remus came rushing across the hall, his face pale as he moved briskly towards them. Tonks sighed.

"Here we go," she muttered.

"Dora," Remus said frantically. "What are you doing? Madam Pomfrey told you to rest."

"Really, Remus, I'm fine," Tonks protested, rolling her eyes. "Look." And she let go of Sirius's shoulders.

Immediately she toppled, only to land in Remus's waiting arms.

"Alright, I suppose you can sweep me off my feet," she relented as Remus lifted her up, winking over his shoulder at Harry. "So long as you ravish me later."

"As soon as Madam Pomfrey allows it," Remus promised and he walked off, his wife laden in his arms.

Sirius laughed.

"Those two," he chortled. "Made for each other. Who'd have guessed?"

Harry smiled.

"It's been amazing how fast their relationship has grown," he reminisced. "I remember before sixth year when they'd first got together. They never outright told me so I was left really suspicious over how they were acting."

Sirius laughed.

"And now they're married, with a kid too," Sirius added. "Amazing how things can happen."

Harry's eyes widened.

"The kid," he gasped, remembering all of a sudden. "I forgot. Tonks had the baby?"

"Teddy Lupin," Sirius confirmed with a proud grin. "Named after Tonks's dad."

Harry paused. "Teddy Tonks?" He wondered. Sirius snorted.

"Well, Ted Tonks, but he lives up to the name either way," he said in amusement. "Great guy."

Sirius cast a sideways glance at Harry.

"I'm not really supposed to say this," he began, in a manner that suggested he was just about to. "Remus wanted to ask you but… anyway…"

"What is it?" Harry wondered.

"They wanted to ask if you would be godfather," Sirius said, grinning. Harry was stunned.

"Godfather?" He repeated. "Me?"

"Well, who else would they pick," Sirius reasoned. "Who else would they want looking after the boy other than you?"

"Loads of people, I'd assume," Harry replied. "Like you for a start." Sirius snorted.

"You don't see it, do you?" He wondered, shaking his head slightly in amusement. "Everyone else does."

"What?"

"That you're a leader, Harry," Sirius told him. "You inspire confidence in everybody who meets you. People look up to you, and damn right they should, and Teddy will too."

"But I'm not a real leader," Harry denied. "I'm not like Dumbledore."

"No one is," Sirius agreed. "But then there's no one like you." Sirius glanced around.

"When you think about it, most leaders generally look and sound and seem like me," Sirius told him. "Older, old enough to have made their mistakes and to have grown into the leadership mantle. But no one looking at the two of us would ever mistake me for the one in charge. You've not had the choice of growing into leadership, it was thrust upon you, which makes it all the more incredible that you've risen to the challenge."

Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're a hero, Harry. You've set the world free from the greatest evil it has ever seen. You'll go down in the annals of history as one of the greatest Pokémon trainers of all time, right next to Dumbledore."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that," Harry admitted. "I only did what I had to."

"I suspect Dumbledore would have said much the same thing," Sirius noted. "But, honestly, it doesn't matter. You've done your duty, it's time you had the chance to relax. The only thing that matters now is what matters to you. So enjoy it."

"I will," said Harry, a smile crossing his face as he thought back to the dormitory with Ginny and the many sunlit days they had ahead. "But there's one more thing I have to do first."

* * *

Arceus's hollow was empty when Harry got there. Like Ron and Hermione had warned it looked like a fight had taken place. Brocken branches and snapped twigs littered the ground, along with a set of tracks that showed the path the cage had taken through the forest. Despite himself Harry was impressed. He wouldn't have thought a cage would fit.

"I thought I'd be seeing you."

Arceus was behind him, his approach so incredibly silent for such a large Pokémon that Harry had not noticed, and Harry turned.

"I thought I'd see how you were," Harry told it. "You looked hurt."

"I was," Arceus agreed, inclining its head slightly in acknowledgement of Harry's worry. "But with my Plates all returned to me once more, rid of the foul one's presence, I have been making a speedy recovery."

"What are you going to do?" Harry wondered. "Without Voldemort around you're free to go wherever you want. You're no longer stuck at Hogwarts."

"And I will make the most of my freedom," Arceus assured him. It nodded its head through the forest. "Come, let me accompany you back to the castle."

The two of them set off, man and Pokémon walking side by side through the peace of the forest. Bird Pokémon chirped, it brought a smile to Harry's face, and as they walked many other Pokémon stopped what they were doing to watch them go.

"What are you going to do with the Plates?" Harry wondered. His thoughts turned to the ones they'd recovered, and the Pokémon they'd taken them from. "Keep them at Hogwarts?"

"I don't think so," Arceus murmured softly. "While recent events tempt me to keep the Plates close it would not be right. My Plates are for the benefit of all Pokémon. They should be out there for all to see." Arceus considered.

"The Plates at Hogwarts I will leave, for they are part of the grounds by now and taking them would cause great harm," Arceus said. "But the others I shall scatter across the world, as they once were."

"And when you've done that?" Harry wondered.

"I can go anywhere," Arceus admitted. "But Hogwarts has become my home. Eventually, some way or another, I will return."

They had reached the edge of the trees. Harry turned.

"Before you go," he said quickly. "I just wanted to say… thank you."

Arceus looked amused.

"It is I who should be thanking you," it rumbled. "You saved me, from a fate worse than death, and in doing so freed an entire world of innocents. I am… honoured, to have known you. And I hope we meet again."

And with that Arceus bowed its head and turned, disappearing back into the forest and presumably beyond, to the big wide world that awaited.

Harry let out a small chuckle, shaking his head with incredulity. When he'd been eleven, not even aware of the world of Pokémon, he could never have imagined where life would take him.

Glancing up to the ancient castle behind him, looking more like a ruin with the damage done over the course of the battle, he faced the forest and, with an almost reflexive motion, he opened the Pokéballs on his belt.

His Pokémon appeared before him, battered, bruised and banged up, but there. Looking upon the six of them pride welled up in Harry's chest. Charizard and Lucario had returned to their normal forms, the battle now over, and they stood in line with the others, waiting for him to speak.

Harry smiled.

"You guys have been the greatest Pokémon I could have ever asked for," he told them, his voice catching in his throat. "You've done more than I ever could have asked, supported me through challenges I never thought I'd conquer. But I did, because I had you by my side."

Harry wiped at his face, flicking away a stray tear, as the emotion threatened to overwhelm him.

"I know not all of you joined me because you wanted to," he said, his eyes focusing on Greninja and Lucario. "You joined to fight, to beat Voldemort. Well, now we have. If you want, you can leave. You don't have to stay anymore."

For a moment there was silence, all eyes on Greninja and Lucario, before Lucario stepped forward. He raised his paw before him and, recognising the gesture, Harry raised a curled up hand to meet it. As Lucario's ears lifted and his eyes closed the feelings that flowed through him rushed through Harry; trust, loyalty, respect, friendship.

Love.

As the whirl of emotions ended Harry smiled. "Me too."

Charizard let out a roar, a triumphant cry as he too approached, emboldened by Lucario's acceptance, clasping Harry on the shoulder, his loyal partner to the end. Talonflame swooped onto his shoulder, Umbreon rubbing against Harry's leg as Pikachu climbed up his back, and Harry smiled.

He turned to the only Pokémon that remained.

Greninja looked uncertain, an expression that was so unusual for the normally stoic Pokémon as he turned his attention between Harry and his Pokémon and the forest at his back.

Charizard let out an annoyed growl. Harry silenced him with a touch.

He addressed Greninja.

"You don't have to stay," Harry assured him. "We won't think less of you if you don't. You, more than anyone, joined me out of duty. If you choose to leave then I will do nothing but thank you."

Greninja continued to look uncertain, twitching a little from indecision, and seeing such a response from a Pokémon usually so sure impressed on Harry just how tough this decision was.

"You know," he said softly. "If you stay, that's fine too." Greninja looked at him. "The battle is over, it's won. Now we get to relax. And if you want you can relax with us."

Greninja looked towards him and in his eyes Harry saw the truth. He yearned to accept, yearned to be part of the team, but his instincts insisted that he return to the forest, to where he felt he should be.

Harry smiled.

"No matter what you decide," he said. "You've always got a home with us."

That seemed to be what did it. At these words Greninja could hold back no longer and he stepped forward, unable to stop himself from throwing his arms around Harry, and Harry held him back, glad, beyond words, that he'd chosen to stay.

"Harry!"

Harry blinked, the voice penetrating the little bubble of emotion as he held Greninja close.

"Shh, Ron, they're having a moment," Hermione's voice whispered.

Harry smiled. He pulled back from Greninja to see Ron and Hermione standing behind him, Ron grinning, Hermione looking apologetic.

"So," Ron insisted, looking between them.

"We're staying together," Harry told him, smiling at Greninja and turning to the rest of the Pokémon too. "We're a team. What would I do without them?"

"Too right," agreed Ron. "And it's not just your Pokémon." He gestured to himself and Hermione.

"We have been through a lot together," said Hermione. "Especially this last year."

"I was just thinking how weird it was how much had happened in seven years," Harry admitted.

"Seven years?" Ron laughed. "Blimey, give me a hundred and I would never imagine all of this." Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement, exchanging smiles.

A companionable silence fell upon them.

"So," said Ron, looking between them. "What now?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Harry.

"I mean, what do we do?" Ron wondered, giving off a disbelieving laugh. "With no war what's next for us?"

"I suppose all the normal things, like get jobs," Hermione theorised, looking a bit taken aback. "Earn money, pay rent. I guess now we just go about living normal lives."

Ron looked incredulous. "Normal?" He repeated.

Harry laughed.

"I don't think anything about us will ever be normal," he said.

But Hermione was right. What lay ahead was adulthood. Finding jobs, making your way in the world, marriage, children, vacations and taxes. All of that glorious future lay out ahead of them.

And Harry could hardly wait.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it. The end of the series. It's over.

Honestly I can't believe I ever made it this far. I always wanted to finish this but back when I was working on the early years I always doubted I'd be able to see it through. It took a lot of hard work and there are bits that I feel I could have done better, but I'm awfully proud to be able to finish this series properly.

Thank you everyone who has been reading along, especially all of you who took the time to comment and left such kind words and encouragement which always gave me a lift. I hope you've enjoyed the story and I hope that it has been worth it following along over the last couple of years.

Now that I'm finished with this I have plans to move on to my next project. A large part of that is working on my other works in progress. I should be getting another chapter of 'The Ministry' out once I've had a small break, and hopefully I can finally get back to 'Pewter City Gym'. I promise I haven't forgotten about it, and I know what's going to happen in the plot, so hopefully I can hold up on my promise to stick with my stories until the end.

I don't think I'll be doing the cursed child in this universe, mostly because I haven't seen the play or read the script. However I do have some vague ideas for one-shots and short stories connected to this universe. Who knows, maybe that'll start something else.

I've also got another Harry Potter/Pokemon crossover idea in the works that I'm really excited about. I can't make any promises but this is something I really want to share with you guys, so keep an eye out.

As always leave a Review if you've enjoyed it and follow me on Twitter for updates. Let me know what your favourite part of the series has been, who's your favourite character, which Pokemon team did you like the most. And as for Twitter you can follow me to keep an eye out for what I plan to do next.

So, until next time.


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